Yesterday I wrote about being disappointed or even disillusioned when things don’t go the way we hope or expect. Today I would like to explore another aspect of this painful phenomenon – how to handle expectations.

Is it possible to rein in our expectations, but still get excited about possibilities?

Imagine you have a crush on someone, and they noticed you … maybe even smiled at you. Instantly, your mind takes that as a hint that maybe they’re the ONE!

Or, you discover that the job of your dreams has an opening!… and they call you in for an interview! Immediately, you are making plans about what your future will look like!

Our minds can go from 0 to 60 so quickly! And when they do, the potential for disappointment skyrockets.

So, how do you get excited, but protect against possible devastation?

There’s a passage in James that I believe speaks to this quite well…

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

The point here is that it is ok to make plans and to get excited about possibilities – the difference is having a mindset that puts the plans, excitement, and our lives at the feet of the Lord.

If we can get into the habit of making everything subordinate to the Lord and His will, I believe we will be able to find that sweet spot of enjoying the thrill of possibility, but also maintain our ‘safety-net’ of hope in the Lord, should it not turn out as planned.

So, when you feel that excitement welling up and your mind racing 30 years into the future, I encourage you to stop and pray…

“Thank you, Lord, for this possibility. I’m really excited. But I put it all at your feet. Whatever comes, I know you’ve got my back and that you always have good things in store for me.”

Honestly, I think that many of the good things that we desire require us to think this way.

The tighter we hold to things, the more they seem to get away from us.