“If I accept you as you are, I make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.”
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
We are now in the church season of advent. Advent is a word that means coming or arrival; it’s a season of waiting, and expecting. What are we to expect? I ask because expectations are powerful, and change transform how we see the world we live in.
If you wake up and decide it is going to be a bad day, trust me, you will find lots of reasons for it to be one. If you believe that it is cold outside, even a 55 degree day in Wisconsin in December will feel cold to you. One researcher called it the Pygmalion effect. The expectations you think, will often be reflected in your actions, and even dictate the outcome. So in advent, leading towards Christmas and Jesus arrival, what is it that you are expecting? Do you expect this to be a stressful season, or one of your favorite times of year? Do you expect that God cares and is a part of your life, and will remain true to his promises, or that God has forgotten you? Your expectations are powerful, and in this season of expectations, I challenge you to look in the mirror and see where yours are at.
You should expect that God is involved in our lives, and working for the good of His will in the world. You should expect that the word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), that Jesus became a person like you and me, so that he could save us. You can expect that for many this season it is just a stressful, expensive time of year that people try to survive, instead of enjoy. Your expectations will shape how you see things, and even how this season unfolds in your life? So what are your expectations for this season of great promise and hope?
Pastor Bill