Have you ever had false expectations? 

Expectations are so important in our daily lives. They help us process the events of our lives. They influence our attitudes and emotions. Expectations are conscious or subconscious. They are reasonable or unrealistic. They are based on life experiences, myths, and/or wishful thinking. 

Would you take a moment to review your expectations of yourself, God, and others? What do you see? Do you expect things to get better or worse? Let’s face the facts—nobody expected the COVID-19 virus or the desperate decisions made by bureaucrats to mitigate the death count. Yikes, what a mess! 

Now we are entering Holy Week. Thank God. The week before the resurrection of Christ was all about expectations. The Bible tells us the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem: “So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road;...” (Matthew 21:6-8, NKJV). 

People were so excited to see the Messiah who would rescue them from all their problems with Rome. But wait a minute—that’s not why He was coming. The people were expecting a ruling king to liberate them, but Jesus came to be a suffering Messiah. Now that’s a big difference.

False expectations created an electric atmosphere. The multitudes were throwing down their cloaks in adoration and praise. They even sang prophetic songs announcing the coming of the Messiah: “Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 21:9, NKJV) In my experience, I’ve learned that expectations can either make me or break me.

Today is a great day to review your expectations. Do a fearless moral inventory, then ask God for help. The Bible says that God has great plans for you: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)

Expect God to help you live this plan because you are a miracle.

Your friend, Paul Marc Goulet