No Expectations

Colossians 3:1-4

"If then you have been raised with Christ, 

seek the things that are above, where Christ is, 

seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things 

that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also 

will appear with him in glory."

No Expectations. That’s what my counselor told me. Work at having no expectations of other people, especially family members. Let’s face it; we all have expectations whether we are totally conscience of it or not. The problem with expectations is that when they are not met, we are disappointed, hurt, sad, crushed, dejected, or have a whole host of other feelings we’d rather not experience. If we are hoping for a phone call, letter, gift, or visit and it doesn't happen, this can trigger a downward spiral emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. However, when we don’t have any expectations, then when any positive thing happens we are pleasantly surprised or we can just enjoy another person’s company in a relaxed, no-strings-attached manner. 

Expectations are different from requests. In this context, expectations are usually unspoken desires or dreams – things we hope others will say or do. Requests are verbalized and give the other person the opportunity to respond. In my experience, expectations are those unspoken desires that we think the other person should intuitively know or comprehend. Very often they don’t and how can they if they don’t know what we are thinking or hoping? It’s not realistic. 

The Christmas season can be a time of great expectation which can lead to great disappointment. This Christmas and throughout 2017, try letting go of unspoken expectations. Sit down and write out those expectations, then choose what is really important to you and turn it into a spoken request. This can be difficult and scary. If it is too hard to verbalize your expectations, try writing a letter; otherwise, put them out of your mind. When we don’t carry so many unmet expectations, a huge mental and emotional weight drops off and we are truly able to enjoy our family, friends, and special occasions without the hurt, disappointment, and depression. Not only do we feel lighter and freer, but the whole atmosphere around us loses tension. 

As I am learning the principle of “no expectations” and how to verbalize what I need or want, the tendency to be hurt is replaced with richer, more open, and relaxed relationships. What I'm finding is that my previous desires are often being met or were selfish and unnecessary, even silly. In essence, I am releasing those I love to be who they are, not who I want them to be. I am learning to ask for the real assistance I need, but to let go of the unrealistic expectations that rob me of a lot of joy, peace, and contentment. I'm learning to look more and more to God who will supply my every need. (Philippians 4:19)

The above passage from Colossians reminds us to set our hearts on things above where Christ is and to set our minds on things above also. Christmas is the Christian’s remembrance and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Savior and Lord. Jesus was the greatest gift ever given and the greatest sacrifice of our Heavenly Father. He came so that we have the opportunity to one day live with Him above. All we have to do is ask. Ask forgiveness for the wrongs we have done and accept that Jesus paid the ultimate price, His life, to bridge the gap between an unholy people and The One and Only Holy God.

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you will fill your heart and mind with thoughts of Jesus and why He left His home above to live among us. 

In John 14:27 Jesus says 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. 

I do not give to you as the world gives. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 

Merry Christmas!

Tip: Read the Gospel of John and the book of Colossians.

Showers of Blessing

Ezekiel 34:26

And I will make them and the places

all around my hill a blessing

and I will send down the showers in their season;

they shall be showers of blessing. 

I started writing this post 3 rains ago, but today is a rainy day so a good day to send it out. The day I took these photos, was a couple of months back when we were receiving regular rains and everything was growing beautifully and staying green.

The last couple of months have seen precious little rain; therefore the rain today is a welcome release. It has been so hot, humid, dry and dusty that everything was turning brown and shriveled. The skies are grey and the showers are falling to the delight of all the remaining flowers, vegetables, fruits, grass, pumpkins, and farm crops. 

Personally, I like rainy days. I even pray for rainy days. It means a reprieve from working in the heat. It gives me a chance to catch up on indoor chores and desk work or to bake a treat or read a book.  I even enjoy taking a short walk if it isn't a downpour. It’s been so hot and dusty that the cool air and moisture are a relief to my senses. Another benefit is I received a free car wash, plus now the dust won’t swirl so much when driving in and out of the lane so it might stay a bit cleaner. 

Rain. Yes, it darkens the sky, but it replenishes the ground water giving us plenty of water to drink and use for other purposes. Rain is a gift, a bright spot.

I realize not everyone feels this way, but since I grew up on a farm, it was usually viewed that way by us. It was a necessity to our way of life. If all days were sunny, we’d all be in serious trouble. All living things must have water to survive. My husband didn't care for rainy days. Of course he knew we needed them, but they were like a trial to him. Rain was something to be endured, but it kept him from being outside as much as he'd prefer. I've known others who become depressed on rainy days or who speak of rain as a negative thing.

Back in the 1800's Daniel Whittle wrote the hymn There Shall Be Showers of Blessing. I find it very interesting to read the stories behind hymns or the authors who wrote them. When Whittle went off to war his devout Christian mother tucked a New Testament into his haversack and sent him off with many a prayer. He saw horrendous things and during one battle was knocked out. When he awoke, one arm had been amputated above the elbow. As he recovered, he had a desire to read and reaching into his pack pulled out the New Testament and proceeded to read it from cover to cover twice.

He still had no thought of becoming a Christian, although he now knew the way to salvation. Late one night a nurse woke him and asked him to pray for a soldier that was dying and begging for prayer. The nurse had seen him reading his Bible and believed he could help the young soldier. At first Whittle refused saying he'd never prayed in his life and was just as wicked as the nurse. The nurse persisted; however, until Whittle relented and went to the dying man.

The dying man asked Whittle to pray for him, to ask God to forgive him and Christ to save him. Daniel Whittle felt God speaking to him telling him he knew the way and to get on his knees, confess his own sin, and to pray for this dying soldier. Daniel did just that and believed that he had become Christ's child right then. When he got up from his knees the soldier had died with a peaceful look on his face. 

After the war he moved to Chicago and became acquainted with D.L. Moody. He became an evangelist and hymn writer. Showers of Blessing was inspired from the passage in Ezekiel. Through the trial or rainy season in his life when he couldn't be out and active as he probably wanted to, he found salvation through the reading of the Bible, plus brought salvation to another. Just as rain refreshes and replenishes the earth and has a purpose, so rainy seasons in our lives have a purpose and can cause much growth and harvest if we will yield to the Father. 



(Whittle story - http://digging-history.com/2014/04/06/hymnspiration-there-shall-be-showers-of-blessing/)

Eternity

Through a series of small events Sunday, God led me to a great online sermon that had a clip from a talk given by Joni Eareckson Tada. If you don’t know who she is, she is a wonderful witness for Jesus and a quadriplegic. At the time of the recording in 2013, she had been a quadriplegic for 46 years.

She talks about how she desired and prayed to be healed, searched the Scriptures about healing, and how God spoke to her through Mark 1:38. In the preceding verses, Jesus had healed many and cast out demons. The next morning He got up early, found a quiet place and prayed. Simon and other companions found Jesus and exclaimed “Everyone is looking for you!” The assumption is that another crowd of people seeking healing had gathered and was looking for the healer.  Joni found Jesus’ response “curious”. Here’s what He responded:

Mark 1:38 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns,

 that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 

Joni says: “And that’s when it hit me, O did it hit me. It’s not that Jesus did not care about all those sick and diseased people, it’s just their problems weren’t His main focus. The gospel was. The gospel that says sin kills, hell is real, but God is merciful and His Kingdom can change you and Jesus is the way. And whenever people miss this, whenever they just started coming to Jesus to get their pain and problems fixed, the Savior would always back away.” 

Jesus’ priority was to proclaim God’s message of salvation to all, to bring healing to our souls by freeing us from sin and eternal death. 

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, please consider the following:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23  

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

- We have all missed the mark of God's perfection. We have all done wrong in God's eyes and therefore we have all earned eternal death (hell). God is holy and cannot allow sin without a payment. Jesus paid that payment in full. God offers us eternal life through Jesus Christ as a gift. A gift cannot be earned. It must be freely given and freely received.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

- Jesus was very clear that He is the only way to gain access to the Father who is God.

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” – Romans 10:9&10

- Simply say and believe that "Jesus is Lord". This statement gives Jesus authority over our lives and is His promise that we are saved from eternal death.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14&15

- You can be assured that now you are part of God's family and He will empower you by His Holy Spirit to live a life for Him. A life of joy and abundance.

You can look up these verses yourself in a Bible or online at a site such as https://www.biblegateway.com/. Give God a chance to speak with you.  He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you.  

God has made it very simple for us. It's just a matter of realizing we have done wrong in His sight, ask His forgiveness and believe what Jesus has done to bridge the gap between us and God. The greatest gift anyone can receive is the free gift of salvation. I hope you will search out the truth of Jesus and His great love for you today. A love that lasts for all eternity. 

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this, 

that someone lay down his life for his friends."

That's what Jesus did for you and for me. No one loves us like He does - unconditionally. No matter what life throws at us, as believers, Jesus is with us through it all. 

TIP: Don't delay to seek Jesus. It is a matter of life and death.