--Wait Expectantly on Jesus ~~

--"In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."
---[Psalm 5:3 / NIV]
--The Blessings of Redemption / [Read/ Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 1 thru 23] angelwing

---I've heard it said, "Expectations are the building blocks for disappointment." True. Especially during the holidays. We are bombarded with unrealistic messages of what our meals and homes should look like and what clothes we should wear.

One year, when my three boys were small, I was determined to get the perfect family photo for our Christmas card. My sons didn't like the matching clothes I bought and wouldn't smile on cue. Disappointed, I gave up. Instead I wrote a humorous Christmas card about what we leaned the past year, ranging from "Don't hug your dog after a skunk sprays him,' to "Don't shave off your eyebrows, they take a long time to grow back. " I received grateful comments from friends because we didn't try to look like the perfect family.

Unrealistic expectations do lead to disappointment and steal joy. However, expectations based on knowing Jesus lead to everlasting joy. He is Immanuel, which means "God with us": (Matthew 1:23). He never changes (Hebrews 6:17). When we base our expectations on Jesus, He will not disappoint.

I never got the perfect family photo when my kids were little, but this year my adult sons did smile and wear the shirts I bought, but they didn't shave. Thankfully, I've stopped focusing on my expectations on the unimportant, and instead I'm waiting expectantly on Jesus. ~
--"Jesus is Immanuel, God with us."

--Guideposts/JB~

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]