Expectations

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Expectations. We all have them. Some realistic and others not very. I find myself taking my expectations into my relationship with God and at times my frustration with Him is based on whether He has met a desire or request in the way I expected Him to. Sometimes I base whether He cares or not on whether He responds like I expect Him to. (Not a good idea, I know.)

    So as I was exploring these things I found myself reminded that God often (maybe always) does not show up how or where I expect him to. And sometimes I am frustrated with him because he has not shown up where I expected. And…he is showing up but I just can’t see him because I am so focused on him showing up a certain way (much like many during Jesus’ time on earth).

    So I found myself asking God to be able to see him wherever and however and not necessarily in the expected pictures I had painted. Very strongly he spoke to my heart saying, “I’m in your kids”. This was followed by a time of rich (and good) weeping. Even now as I write this I find myself tearing up. God is showing up through my children. Not the picture(s) I had but it is his picture and it is rich and beautiful and I am grateful.

    How has God richly surprised you by not meeting an expectation?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Do Something, Anything!

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

   Sometimes I wish God would take action. Say anything. Do anything. His silence and lack of action makes me feel like He doesn't care. His lack of movement means apathy. Is He asleep on the job?
    To me caring is equated to movement. If you care you do something. This is not necessarily a true or healthy equation. Often lack of movement or even waiting to move is the exact expression of care that is necessary. When someone is grieving, silence is often best. When someone is processing through something, movement hinders that time of processing. When something is healing, often inactivity is necessary and is the best form of care.
    This is a struggle for me, a person who loves movement and action and expects that these things are the best in any scenario. It is just not true. Caring does not require movement, often it requires the lack of it.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Read Mark 4:38. How would you have responded to Jesus' seeming lack of caring?

Under the Radar

**Before you begin reading, sit down, breathe normally and be quiet for 1 minute.**

Under the radar. God loves to work under the our radars. He is often working, redeeming and resurrecting when we have no clue. We think because we cannot see God working this means He is not. We think He does not care or is ignoring us. Our sight and our understanding often are skewed and so we doubt. At least I do. My prayer for us today is that we would trust. Even if we cannot see or feel God that we would trust that He sees, He is working good things and that He has not forgotten.

**Sit quietly again for as much time as is available to you.**