Then a dark and handsome, Mexican cowboy wannabe walks into said bar, looks at the crazy white girl and says, "somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming..."
During the course of the blind date, through the nervous conversation, the crazy white girl learns three very important things about the Mexican cowboy:
1) He's responsible (he was driving and therefore didn't drink anything)
2) He really was a cowboy wannabe with a rather colorful past (He explained that the huge scar on his arm was the result of getting gored by a bull when he was a young man)
3) He is a man of faith (When asked what he did for fun, his response was, "On saturday night, I go to church to visit with my God")
As the blind date concludes and the goodbyes commence, the Mexican cowboy walks off into the sunset. But not before giving the crazy white girl a gentle peck on the cheek and a single, red rose...
I can't say that on that first date that bells were ringing, nor were there choruses of angels singing in the heavens, not quite yet. But I certainly was intrigued. I had some interior things to work on first. You see, I had a problem with expectations. I had spent the good part of the last several years searching and pining for the man of my dreams. I had certain expectations for Mr. Right - I expected to find him in a generic, middle class, white people church. I also expected him to look like Matthew McConaughey (a girl can dream can't she?). The problem was, I had been to all the generic white people churches in the area, I had even looked in other places where generic white people gather, far outside the church walls. I was getting older, more desperate, making more mistakes. But to no avail, Mr. Right was nowhere to be found.
During the second date, I learned a few more things about him - that he was sensitive and compassionate, he liked cartoons and vanilla ice cream from McDonald's. After the second date, I went on a camping trip with my best friend and her family for a week. The camping trip was a bust, to say the least, but I did get to spend time thinking about the dark and handsome Mexican cowboy and talk to the Lord about him. Thankfully, during that time, God had given me a special grace of allowing me to let go of all those expectations I had held onto for so long. When I got home and cleaned myself up I was ready for the third date. It was that day that I realized that perhaps my Mr. Right, a man who would treat me like a princess, a man who would make me giggle like a school girl, a man that would have a deep and profound faith, wouldn't have to be found in the same places I had looked for so long. It was that day I realized that my Mr. Right, maybe, just maybe, a dark, handsome Mexican cowboy.
And then, the angels commenced their singing.
I want to make it clear that to let go of one's expectations does not require a compromise of values. My values of finding a man with a deep faith who treated me right were never compromised. It was only in letting go of my expectations that I was able to see that Fernando was the man that God had for me. It was also in the deep longing of my heart to find God and once again have a vibrant living relationship with Him that I had another opportunity to let go of my expectations. And when I did, I found Christ in the most profound way in the Catholic church.
Today, I want to challenge you to take a look at your expectations - your expectations for Mr. Right, your expectations for your family, your expectations for your job and career, your expectations for your faith life. Are they getting in the way of what God truly has planned for you? Are you clinging to them so tightly that you don't have room to see God at work?
Here are the benefits of letting go of your expectations:
1) It will take away a great deal of personal stress and anxiety
2) It will give you an excellent opportunity to trust the Lord
3) If you have expectations regarding certain relationships, it will allow room for healing and growth
4) It will give you an opportunity to see God's hand at work in your life and in the lives of your loved ones.
So what to do? I speak of letting go, but once you let them go what will happen to them? If you seek the Lord in these things they will only go directly into His hands, my friend! So take a minute today to examine your expectations and let go of the ones that are keeping you from experiencing the fullness of joy that the Lord has in store for you. Trust Him, take refuge in Him and let it go into the Hands of the Almighty God.
Psalm 37:3-7, 23-24, 34, 39-40
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the
land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of
your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the
justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not
fret over those who prosper in their way...
Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our
way;
though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord
holds us by the hand.
Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt
you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their
refuge in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from
the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
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