What if the harvest you were expecting looks completely different than you thought? What if it was bigger than you could ever imagine? Or what if it was meant to change you and not your situation? These questions arrived at the forefront of my mind this month as I struggled to welcome new opportunities God allowed to come my way. In the struggles, I was forced to make a decision; complain about it and delay the timeline further, or be grateful for where God has me in the process and shift my expectations of the harvest. Needless to say… I shifted. I decided to go from a harvest focused mindset, to a process focused mindset. I decided to be present, in the moment, and let God guide me step by step.

No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.
Ecclesiastes 10:14

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poem of the month

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

– Maya Angelou

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Expand Your Expectations

Unhealthy expectations manage to do more harm than good. They can leave us damaged and scarred if not dealt with properly. Expectations are things we carry whether we realize it or not. We place them on ourselves, on other people, and on God. This month, God exposed an unhealthy expectation I unintentionally developed. After being left with frustration and disappointment, I had to peel back the layers of why I was feeling this particular way. To bring context, a recent assignment I believe the Lord gave me was met with more opposition than I anticipated. I know what you’re thinking; of course there was opposition, most assignments from the Lord will be met with opposition. And I would respond in agreeance; I was partly aware of that going into it. However, once faced with the reality of the situation, my skewed expectations had been revealed. I could go deeper into why my expectations were skewed, and why I anticipated things to be easier (pride, ignorance, naivete, etc.) but I want to dive in on how I dealt with the feeling of disappointment from unmet expectations.

There will most likely come a time in your life where things don’t go the way you want them to. You may think, “I’m not where I thought I’d be in the process, or in life, and I’m growing weary waiting for the harvest.” Maybe, you’re met with more opposition than you anticipated on a project, or something you believe God spoke to you about. Any type of disappointment you feel is justifiable and part of the human experience we all endure. But we also have the choice to change our mindset. A friend of mine counselled me over coffee one day and her words have stuck with me since. She said that sometimes we get so caught up in the harvest, we forget the whole development process. In that moment, I made the decision to take my gaze off the finish line and back on the marathon I’m still running. Further, I was reminded that in actuality, I don’t even 100% know what will be on the other side of the finish line. We don’t fully know the harvest God has for us, or what it will always look like in this lifetime. He is constantly doing miracles, and Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20 that He will exceed our expectations anyway (Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us). His ways are not ours; we are implored to be obedient in our lane, on the step He has us on, focused on the season and time we are placed in.

I was encouraged to stop fixating on the harvest, and to bring my attention back to what God wanted me to do now, in this moment, in this season, specifically. That is not to say I’ve forgotten about the harvest, or my rewards in heaven; those things are important. However, I was reminded not to get ahead of God and His timeline for me.

We don’t know what the harvest will truly be or how God decides to show up; and it’s not our job to worry about that. The harvest WILL be there as long as we continue to walk in His divine will; then at the right time we will reap a harvest (Galatians 6:9). In John 5, the lame man at the pool didn’t expect to be healed. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, the man still expected it to come from the pool. He didn’t know he was looking at the healer. Your expectations will always be exceeded anyway, so you can’t lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

In Ecclesiastes 11:6, we are reminded about our profits, and that we won’t know where they will come from, but we must continue to work (Plant your seeds in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another – or maybe both). God is always faithful. He WILL show up, so just keep walking with Him and be patient. For those in the waiting room, focus on the assignment, trials and all, and He will bring the harvest. And though you may not know what the harvest will be in fullness, you don’t want to delay in finding out. Keep watering the seeds you’ve planted. Keep showing up. Keep stewarding the things God gave you with gratitude. Remember the children of Israel wandered the desert for years, and generations of Israelites never got to see the promised land. Be grateful for where God has you in the process, and don’t delay the timeline with disobedience.

Coming out of the frustration, the first thing I realized I had forgotten was John 16:33 (Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world). How could I have gotten so disappointed when Jesus tells us to expect trials? Now that your focus is back on the process, it’s time to expand your expectations on the assignment God called you to do. Expect trials. Expect hardship. Expect sorrow. Expect opposition. AND expect God to complete His good work through you. Expect Him to show up in ways unimaginable. Expect God to exceed your highest expectations. If God called you to it, then expect Him to give you all that you need to execute whatever it is. Don’t focus on the end result, because at the end of the day, the Lord always keeps His promises, and He will bring you a harvest. You just have to understand that the harvest is His job not yours, so He will decide what it looks like. The harvest is plenty but it’s the workers that are few, so I pray you are encouraged to keep going and don’t give up.

Scripture I Held Onto:

– Ephesians 3:20
– Proverbs 3:5
– Ecclesiastes 3; 10:14; & 11
– Galatians 6:9
– John 5; & 16:33
– Matthew 9:37

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November Favorites

content

products

H&M Wool-blend Mini Skirt

GAOY Nude Gel Nail Polish

Grip Socks for Pilates and Barre

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Outfit Details

Sweater: Free People
Skirt: SHEIN
Boots: Macy’s

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