Expectations and Disappointments
Welcome Back from Christmas and the break from school-life! I would love to sit down with each of you and learn about your Christmas, but that’s not possible. For some families, every detail might have turned out perfectly. For others, there was unexpected disappointment. If this is your story, read on…!I’ll never forget the disappointment on the parents’ faces. It was Christmas morning about 35 years ago when our family was invited to our neighbors’ house for Christmas Day brunch. Our daughter was about five months old at the time and our host family had four children ranging from toddler to 12 or 13, as I recall. The house was quiet upon entering which seemed unusual. After a few pleasantries, we got to the heart of the matter: this dad had spent most of the night being resourceful (and saving money) putting two bicycles together for the two older boys. He was exhausted, but he knew it would all be worth it when he surprised his sons with these beauties! The boys, however, had their hearts set on other bikes, much cooler bikes than those their parents had selected. When the unveiling occurred, there were moans and disrespectful remarks instead of thankfulness and gleeful sentiments. The home was quiet because the boys were in their rooms, spending some time alone asking God to search their hearts. These parents gave the best they could, but it wasn’t quite enough for the expectations on the receiving end. I was heart-sick for these friends, but they were mature Christians who turned their expectations and their sons’ disappointment into a powerful lesson, and we got in on it! I am quite certain this lesson has been relived in the lives of their adult sons who are now fathers.Has this ever happened to you? Did it happen this Christmas? Did you plan, prepare, wrap, fix food, delight in the details only to be disappointed because someone had Covid; the food didn’t turn out as planned; the oven didn’t get turned on; or the well-crafted guest list wasn’t the hit you thought it would be? Did your child make little of the special gift you sacrificially purchased and painstakingly wrapped? Did all the wrapping paper and disorganization of the moment leave you feeling empty? After the hoopla of considering all the time, money, planning, and loss of sleep, do you close out another Christmas feeling less than satisfied in your inner man, your spirit man, where you connect with the Lord? You smile and get on with the day, but inside there is that emptiness – that sense that something isn’t quite right.What is missing? I think I know. As wonderful as all this is…this is not what brings us the sense of fulfillment and joy that is spoken of in the Scriptures. There is only ONE GIFT that brings us what our hearts long the most for, and it’s not wrapped under the tree. Oh – I know you KNOW this, but perhaps you’re like me and silently believe there is something we must receive in return for our holiday expectations. That’s where we fall short. These “things” weren’t designed to deliver the satisfaction that we long for in our hearts – this is satisfaction that only Jesus can bring, whether it’s Christmas or any other time of year! Gifts, gatherings, the best-laid plans, and people will inevitably disappoint us. So, while I am learning to enjoy every moment of the Christmas festivities which God has designed to bring us joy (the RDS Christmas program was one of those!), I am learning to give my expectations to the only One Who can satisfy them – those expectations for inner peace, consistent joy, and true fulfillment in my heart. This heart is learning to expect nothing except what Jesus can bring, and that is more than enough, any time of the year!