Expectations and Reality
In the middle of March I planted marigolds from seed, and nursed them indoors until our weather warmed up enough to transplant them into pots to put outside. The package of seeds promised large, colorful blooms, and the picture on the package was breathtaking. I was so looking forward to those large colorful blooms. Well……..this week those seeds bloomed, and yes they are very colorful, but they are the size of my thumb, or maybe even smaller. My expectations of having large blossoms did not materialize.
Life is a lot like that too. Have you ever anticipated how something will turn out and imagine just what it will look like visually to the detail. Then when the event happens, it is not at all what we had imagined, and we end up being disappointed.
One story in the Bible that shows us that expectations are not always met as anticipated is in the story of Jacob when he was promised Rachel after working seven years for her hand in marriage. His father in law, Laban, tricked him and gave him Leah to be his wife, not Rachel. That was not at all what he expected. God does not always give us what we expect, when we expect it to come. Jacob did finally get Rachel as his wife, and God blessed him in many other ways.
I did get marigolds, but they were on God’s terms. We cannot control the outcomes of our lives, but we can be thankful for the blessings that God does give us even if we do not get what we ask for or anticipate. I look at the marigolds, and see that just above them, on the trellis, I have a rose bush that is extremely prolific this year. It has six and eight blooms on just about every stem. It will be like a bouquet on each stem. I also have a climates bush that is just loaded with flowers this year. Somehow I seem to have a large hollyhock plant that I know I did not plant that has a bunch of flowers just about ready to bloom. What I see makes me very thankful that I have such a beautiful garden full of flowers.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God is faithful in showing us that He is indeed blessing us. We just need to look for how he has blessed us and not how he has fallen short of our expectations, and give thanks in all circumstances! I am thanking God for all of my flowers this summer, not just the marigold!
Written by: Pauline Huth
(Scriptures: NIV)
Serving in His Strength” is a blog
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2026