Always Expectant

When I was cooking [hmmm, preparing] breakfast the other morning [in my defense, I DID fry my egg – in spray oil – before putting it in a purchased croissant with pre-cooked bacon,] Emma was right THERE the entire time, moving when I moved, always following, – always hoping for a tiny morsel of goodness that I might drop carelessly, or purposefully, her way.

And when I looked at her I thought – Always. Expectant.

Always. Shouldn’t we live our lives that way too?

[It’s no secret] I’ve lived with anxiety most of my adult life [and probably some of my childhood, but I’ve blocked that out, lol,] and have had many [MANY] days when I lived with a feeling of dread that “something awful” was about to happen. Afterall, life has been good to me [overall, I’ve had my portion of the bad stuff, like everyone else,] so “something” is bound to be right around the corner, ready to cause it all to come crashing down, right? [Those of you who cannot relate to this are so very fortunate!]

A few years back I read a book by Evelyn Husband [the widow of Rick Husband, the astronaut killed in the Columbia disaster – he was a Christ follower,] and it changed my way of thinking. Throughout the book Evelyn spoke poignantly of their life together, both the good and the bad times, and she talked about how Rick would always remind her [over and over,] “Evie, God has great plans for us.” He lived his life expectantly. Believing that God had great plans for him.

And shouldn’t we live that way too? Always. Expectant.

Always looking for the GOOD that our Lord has to offer? Always believing that God has great plans for us? Yes, we should. But on the flip side, does living this way mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us? Well, no. Rick Husband lost his life didn’t he? But he did his best to search for and follow God’s will for his life while he was living. And it was a good life – through the bad and the good. And that’s what I’ve had to realize, deep in my soul: God wants great things for us. Sometimes this ‘ole world we live in, and our own sinful natures, gets in the way of that, but I believe with all my heart God wants the best for us.

And He will walk with us though the bad. Does He choose to step in and stop it? Not always [and that’s one of the hardest things for us to understand, isn’t it?]; but He’s there – always providing a way to Him. Truly, look back to some of the dark times in your life and you’ll find Him there in one way or another. [We might have to look deeply behind the scenes, but, He was there.] So I believe we need to live our lives much like this little long-haired Chihuahua that has taken up residence with us – always expectant. Being THERE with God [spending time with Him,] always following His leadership, moving when He moves; looking for the goodness He has to offer us. And – He is there, – purposefully blessing us as we look to Him.

But what is blessing? Great health? Financial success? Carefree days? Hmmm, I don’t know... I’ve worked most of my 29 years of employment in adult protective services [I’m a social worker, in case you’ve missed that along the way –] And I’ve seen many [MANY] people who do not have great health, or financial success, or have had to work so hard for the very little that they do have in life – and yet, they feel blessed. Content in the Lord. But how do we get there? By drawing near to Him [being right THERE], following Him, moving when He moves, and having a heart of thanksgiving for the goodness He offers to us regardless of our circumstances.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23 - 24

[I'm going to miss picnik so much! Last photo: straight-out-of-the-camera; first photo: taken on a picnik. And it's only with God's help that I got this photo because she is such a little flighty thing and my phone camera has an at least 2 second hesitation...]