Up-Ended Expectations is the Good News of Christmas
PLUS: Our favorite Christmas Picture Books and Advent Resources!
Tis the season of up-ended expectations!
A few days ago I took the girls on an outing. We met up with their cousins and their Mimi to enjoy a local theater show and explore a fun park. Everyone was all smiles and good moods. As I rounded the four of them up to let them know it was time to go home, I walked with confidence and peace - feeling satisfied that I pulled off a successful outing.
Then one of my girls casually asked me if she could do something specific when we got home - and I said the dreaded word: “no”.
What had been a delightful afternoon turned sour in a snap. My shoulders slumped as I tried to remain calm while shuffling them to the car. I reminded myself that what my daughter says about me, does not define me. I reminded myself that her response to my boundary is not my responsibility. And I asked God to give me wisdom about what was underneath her disproportional response to a seemingly minor disappointment.
My poor girl was struggling with up-ended expectations. She had a vision in her head of what her day was going to look like. She assumed that I was going to say “yes” to her request and had been functioning on that expectation. My “no” up-ended it all and threw her into a tailspin of disappointment, anxiety, and uncertainty.
Christmas is like this for a lot of us. We enter this season with hopes, plans, and expectations around what we will do, who we will see, what we will purchase and/or receive. We tell ourselves that this year we really will keep Jesus in the center of the chaos. We make promises to finish the advent devotional we start with our kids. We put reminders in our phone calendars so we don’t miss specific church/school/community activities.
But inevitably something always goes wrong. A kid gets sick. An event gets forgotten. A gift fails to “wow”. It’s easy to meltdown when expectations get up-ended, but what if this year we flip this narrative around?
Afterall the first Christmas was full of up-ended expectations. The Messiah was coming as a baby? He was being born of a virgin? In a stable?
Why were shepherds the first to visit and worship the King of kings? Wasn’t the Savior supposed to come in power and strength? Where was his palace? His kingdom? His entourage?
Yet, these up-ended expectations were exactly what we needed. What we so often see as interruptions or disappointments, God has planned all along to show us himself. It’s in those times when nothing seems to be going right, that we are best able to see the character and plans of God. His holiness, his kindness, his provision. He takes what seems topsy-turvy, and he reminds us that his plan of salvation could never have been imagined by us. He takes what feels disappointing, and reminds us that his plans are always for our good and his glory. He takes what feels chaotic, and reminds us that he is the Prince of Peace and the Light of the world.
This Christmas, my prayer for my family and for you - is that we can take each of our up-ended expectations to the Lord, and that he will show us his good plans in the midst of our disappointments.
The details of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection weren’t on anyone’s bingo cards. But God exceeded our expectations then, and he will do it again.
Merry Christmas!
Encouraging Resources: Advent Edition
A FREE Advent Devotional written by my friend Elizabeth Turnage: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q
A new Advent Devotional book for young moms by Grace Thweatt of Renewed Motherhood: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKJWRT54
My favorite book reviewer (Amber Thiessen) curated a list of resources you can read on her site. She has different categories based on what you are looking for this year: https://www.amberthiessen.com/post/advent-reading-guide-devotionals-and-books-to-prepare-your-heart-for-christmas
My writer friend Cara Ray wrote a Jesse Tree Family Devotional (it’s FREE): https://cara-ray.com/jesse-tree-family-advent-devotional/
My Girls’ favorite Christmas picture books:
As this year comes to a close, I want to thank you for being here, for reading, for sharing, and for all the ways you care for your loved ones. It is a joy to serve you and I’m grateful that you read these little bits of encouragement and then share pieces of your lives with me in return.
In the next few weeks you and I will both be tempted to focus on our lists and our expectations. May we both, each morning, renew our commitment to keep our hearts and minds trained on Christ. May he equip us for the good works he has prepared for us to do. May he remind us that his grace is sufficient. And may our understanding of his grace grow deeper in our hearts.
Merry Christmas friend.
Love, Marissa
Thanks for this encouragement Marissa, for helping me remember to keep my eyes on God's good plan in the midst of disappointments. (and thanks for the share!!)
What a great read, thank you for the encouraging words.