Food for Thought - Expectations

Well today kinda snuck up on me. It's been a strange week for sure. I started out real strong by pulling a muscle in my back while doing laundry (of all things!). That has somewhat immobilized me to the couch for a couple of days, though I think I'm nearly over it. My goal today is to get the dishes done, even if it takes all day! Hubs has also had a rough time with some digestive tract issues. Add those together and you end up with some very short nights and a distinct lack of sleep. All that to say, I've been doing some thinking, so I don't have anything household-practical or piano related today. Instead, let's talk about expectations.

Princess. Fiancé. Bride.

Those words have always sounded so much more enchanting to me than "Queen", "Wife", "Married". Somehow, I think I am not the only person who thinks that. But what makes those words sound more exciting? I think it has to do with expectations.

Expectations. Everyone has them. Take a few minutes and think about yours. My most recent "large" expectations had to do with getting married and moving to Iowa. I "expected" to make friends really quickly (that hasn't exactly happened). I "expected" the honeymoon period to be a lot shorter. Listen to the experts…. It really is a year! I "expected" to have time to be the perfect housewife. What I've found is that I have the time, but caring for a 2-bedroom apartment and 1 other person is not that much work, so I have to admit that I go through cycles (Clean ALL the things!... to… I don't want to get out of bed). I "expected" a lot of things and honestly am still working through them. Some things that have happened have been beyond my highest expectations (let's be clear, being married is totes better than being engaged). And some things have not. Making friends is hard when you are adult and can't just play Barbies.

I have expectations of things coming up. I'm about to embark on a 2-week trip to Texas to celebrate my older brother's wedding (poor parents- 2 weddings in 6 months!), then the in-laws are visiting for 3 weeks for Thanksgiving-time, and then the hubs and I are trekking back to Texas for Christmas! There's a lot of expectations there. I "expect" the wedding to be stressful, but fun. I "expect" an 11-hour drive to be loads of fun (not). I "expect" time with the in-laws to be refreshing and exciting. I "expect" Christmas to be a joy, as it always is.

Here is my theory. I think the idea of being a Princess or being Engaged is thrilling because it is a period of Expectations. When you are a Princess, you have the privileges of royalty without the responsibility of ruling. As an Engaged lady, you have the time to dream and imagine the perfect wedding and how amazing marriage will be, without the stress of "why is my wedding cake late?" and "why can't you remember to put the toilet seat down?". In these periods of expectation, we are anticipating the things that are coming, painting a perfect picture of what will happen. It's very easy to gloss over the negative things (the stress of governing or the daily grind of "normal" life). In a way, this can be a very good thing. The excitement of marriage and the excitement of coronation will help carry you through the difficult times when the weight of responsibility is resting on you.

I like to think that our Christian walk is like this. We are betrothed and waiting for the arrival of our bridegroom Jesus. This is a great period of anticipation and expectation. It is also a period of preparation. Just as a fiancé must take time to prepare and plan the wedding and a Princess takes time to learn all she can about politics and her people, we are preparing ourselves to meet Christ. We prepare by worshiping Him, learning more about Him, and carrying out His will in our daily lives. This excitement and anticipation will also help us through those tough days when we don't feel like God is listening to us or that all the cards are stacked against us. And, just like a Princess might not know the exact day she will take the throne, we don't know the exact day that Jesus will return or we will be called home. So, we must spend our time wisely in preparation, recognizing what things are important and worthy of our time, and what things are not. And in the end, we will be greeted by a God so far above our expectations, we can't fathom it. I'm looking forward to that day!

What are your thoughts?