If you follow our blog regularly, you know that last week I mentioned how grateful I am for things, especially when they’re gone for a time, citing our dishwasher debacle as a prime example. (If you missed it, you can check that post out here.) What I failed to mention, was that since then, we have replaced it with a brand new machine. But that took about 5 weeks. Five weeks! During that time, I learned a bit about waiting, a little about patience, some about my own heart, and a lot about expectations.

 

My expectations were one thing, and my experience was something entirely different. I expected an immediate and inexpensive fix. What I got instead was a long wait at a semi-reasonable price. I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, as the weeks went by, my expectancy and anticipation grew. Keep in mind, this is just a dishwasher: a first world problem, and a blessing of a modern convenience.

 

The word “expectation” has been on my mind a lot recently. Thanksgiving was as early as it could be in the calendar year, leaving a lot of time until Christmas. The Christmas carols and jingles are already playing nonstop on the radio. The Christmas shopping has begun. The calendar is quickly filling with up with parties, gatherings, and school concerts. Every day, my anticipation and expectation for Christmas is growing.

 

We call this season “Advent,” which literally means “an awaited arrival.” For thousands of years, the people of God awaited the arrival of their Messiah with growing expectation. Of course, at Christmas, we first and foremost celebrate His first coming, when He was born as a baby to Mary and Joseph. But there’s a second arrival that we wait for with expectation – Christ’s second coming. And when He comes, I’m confident that our experience will be far greater than our expectations. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).