Saint James hurt his shoulder in a pickup football game in October. Hurt to the tune of severe sprain, level three AC joint separation with nearly ten weeks off of work to date.  It was not what I expected for the end of the year.

I had planned for a final monetary push to pay off a credit card. Weekend trips to celebrate Advent. Carving out special space as a family in preparation for the coming of our King. I hoped for a smaller, cash Christmas, and lots of secret giving.

When we carry expectation, we can forget the gift.

While I skipped most of the Black Friday sales, I’ve gotten morning coffee time with my husband. The special spaces I wanted for the Christmas season have overflowed into doing daily life together. Good talks on drives to doctor’s appointments, getting our basement organized, and washing and drying dishes together. A smaller, cash Christmas is happening, with lots of prior thought and planning and secret giving is done in the spirit of love sacrifice, instead of overflow.

When we carry expectation, we can forget gratitude.

We make plans for our lives. Marriages, jobs, children, moves. Specific homes and meals, dream vacations, grandiose plans. We tie strings around certain prayers, and feel failed if they don’t come to fruition.

We feel alone. Forgotten. Like we’ve been waiting for five hundred years in silence. But, Emmanuel has come! And the most powerful prayer we can pray is, “Let it be to me according to Your word.” (Luke 1:38B ESV)

There is provision in the now. And when we make our plans, we place them into the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. We pray “Thy will be done,” and place our expectation at the foot of the infant King who came to the ordinary in the most unexpected ways.

When we carry expectation, we can miss the Savior.

Advent is the preparation for our King. He is coming! But if we aren’t open to Him, however he might come, we may miss Him. Let us have eyes to see!

Blessings.