Great Expectations

I was headed on my usual path home, but i got lost in the music... I took a hasty right turn into a neighborhood filled with crisply polished lawns and 3-car garages. While in college, during a thoughtful night I would drive way out into the country and let my mind wander freely.
.......What type of family lives in that refined white house? Do they love each other? ........Is their life similar to how they expected it would be?
I found a warming comfort in the feeling of the chilling air running through my car as it chased out sound waves of music. Dreaming is medicine for my soul.

Is my life all that I expected it to be? Most certainly not. Do I often feel trapped by the burden of doubt or anticipation? Of course, new beginnings will do that to you. I've come to the conclusion that the burden of doubt is mostly a result of expectations. I commonly use expectations as an excuse for self-preservation. If I expect the worst....I take no risk. If I expect the best, I could be in for a series of let-downs. Where is the safe realm of expectations? More importantly, what are we allowed to expect from humans without turning out disappointed at the end of the day?

Maybe God has laid this on my heart to reveal that when we expect from others, we forget to expect from ourselves. Suddenly the matters of our own heart are replaced by idealizations of what we believe someone else should be doing. Leaps of faith are necessary, the result at the end is not the important part, but rather the journey to get there.

The only person holding the pen to write the script of my life is God. I might try to scratch through some of the lines He has written every now and then, but ultimately the ending will take form exactly as the Author planned.

This is one thing I can expect.



I need to take a lesson from nature. This big guy doesn't seem to concern himself with worries or doubts. As Matthew 6 says, if God plans out the life of a bird, surely He cares for His own children.
*Credits for this beautiful bird shot go to Matt. He spotted him in the tree a few mornings ago and snapped it with our 70-200mm. :)