“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)
Rid your face of the “can’t believe it” expression! Right from the start, let me assure you that the title above does is not a birth announcement! No way is this an Abraham-type story where, by divine intervention, a baby is on the way at my house! This is a quick lesson on how our “expecting attitudes” are not accompanied by thanksgiving when our expectations are met. Think about it! Think how you have expected something so many times in your life, but you never connected a vocal thanksgiving once expectation was met. Do you need examples? Okay, here you go! You expected dinner to be on the table, but did you say thanks to the mother, father, or other adult that prepared the food on the table? Did you even thank the Lord for your food, in sincerity, for putting your meal on the table? You expected to be paid on payday and when you checked your direct deposit and found your earnings for the pay period were indeed there on time, did you ever thank your manager or the person in HR for processing payroll by the deadline? You expect to hear from your loved ones every now and then, but when you do hear from them and your expectations are met, do you say, “Thank you?” Perhaps some of you sisters reading this are accustomed to your man opening your car door for you and you expect that to happen every single time. Or when approaching a door with your man, do you stand there, knowing it is not one of those electronic sensor doors that opens automatically, and you wait for him, expecting him to open the door for you? And when he does show male chivalry, do you express your thankfulness? Brothers, are you one of those men who expect your wife or mom to do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry, but you never say, “I appreciate what you do?” Where is the accompanying thankfulness that comes with you expecting attitude? One more “expecting” question. Did you wake up this morning expecting to see another day and you still have not specifically thanked the Lord for waking you up and starting you on your way?
My “expecting announcement” is this: “When your expectations are met, accompany it with some thankfulness.” Have a great and wonderful Thursday! Oh, thanks for reading so faithfully! May it result in God-consciousness daily! Be blessed!
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King