Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

Matthew 20:28, NIV 

Have you ever missed a moment with God because you were expecting Him to show up one way but He came in another?

Maybe you were listening for a big, booming voice, but He was speaking through flowers. Or you were watching for waves to part, but He was touching your face through the hands of a baby you held. 

Are You Missing Your Moments with God? 

The Jews were waiting for their Messiah. God had sent the prophets, the foreshadowing figures of Jesus, the Scriptures. The priests studied and prepared for the coming of the Lord. And yet when He came, most of the Jewish leaders completely missed Him because He wasn’t what they were looking for. They let their own preconceived ideas and expectations rob them of recognizing their Messiah. They had interpreted the Scriptures and the words of the prophets to create an image of the kind of Messiah they wanted, a war hero. Someone to free them from their oppression in the earthly world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.

2 Cor. 1:3-4, ESV

I made it, I thought as I woke up the morning after Valentine’s Day.

I’d started February 14 with a careless scroll through Instagram intending to respond to a few messages when I got distracted by a barrage of Valentine updates. Status after glowing status showed friends and family happily coupled with pictures of flowers sent, notes written, dinners out, and jewelry given. Captions gushed about why she’d pick him all over again and why she’s still the one.

I forced myself to sign off social media and thought I had redirected my emotions for the day when I got blindsided by a late afternoon run into the grocery store. The store was buzzing with shoppers getting flowers and chocolates. I made the rookie mistake of cutting through the card aisle—usually the one empty lane for a shortcut to the back of the store. But on Valentine’s Day, it was aflame with pink and red and lined with men hunting for the perfect card.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV

The most treasured piece of decor in our home is a distressed wooden sign that hangs in our bedroom. I glance at it each morning when I turn on the light. And it’s the last item that catches my eye before bed.

This sign has saved me headaches. And heartache. It has adjusted my attitude and has enabled my just-about-to-unload lips to stay tightly closed. It reads:

June 21, 1986

221 Guests

When my college sweetheart-turned husband and I recited our wedding vows, we didn’t do so alone but in front of 221 family members and friends. And — most importantly — they were also pronounced in the presence of God.

Decide to Keep Showing Up

Today, whenever the actions—or inactions—of my husband threaten to infuriate me, especially because we do things so differently, thoughts like, “How did I ever think it was a good idea to marry this man?” ricochet in my brain, threatening to knock the nice right out of me.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands. -1 Thessalonians 4:11

It’s natural for us to have expectations of other people. When we confide in someone, we expect them to be discreet. When we put our trust in a leader, we expect them to have integrity — especially when no one is watching. When we are married, we expect our spouse to be faithful.

These aren’t unrealistic expectations, nor is it bad or wrong to have them. We should expect honorable and good things out of people.

We are seeing more and more how common expectations such as these aren’t being met. We’re seeing how much compromise is not only being tolerated, but downplayed and even celebrated. Disappointment here is expected.

On the other hand, sometimes we place expectations on others that we don’t even put on ourselves. We can get so busy criticizing and analyzing the “failures” of other people, we neglect to tend to our own lives and work on our own issues.

Time and time again, I am faced with the reality of a hurting and broken world.

The topic of forgiveness kept my mind occupied a good bit last year.

On the genealogical chart of my family of origin reside several names of people who refused to forgive. These people sat in church every week from childhood through adulthood with a breach unrepaired. Sadly, a few in succeeding generations have made similar decisions. We watch with great sadness; our hearts hurt. 

Remembering the two times Jesus spoke of forgiveness in His last hours of life, I decided to look more closely at those words. Like most of you, I have rushed past these brief snippets of conversation because I already know the story.

Father, Forgive Them

First, I saw afresh that Jesus spoke the words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) at the beginning of the crucifixion as He was being stripped naked, nailed to the cross, and then hoisted into the air. Here we see Jesus forgive without being asked, without the guilty ones even aware that they had sinned; hence His words, “they know not what they do.” He modeled what He taught the disciples in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:12), when He told Peter to forgive seventy-seven times (Matt.

When 2025 rang in the new year, we had no idea what it would hold. For our family, there were definite high points.

My oldest daughter played her final volleyball game as a senior —and defeated their rivals as she hit a game-winning kill. My middle daughter received an offer to play at Nationals for the Beach Volleyball Tournament in Virginia Beach. And there were the simple joys: laughter in the kitchen, deep conversations on road trips, moments that quietly stitched joy into ordinary days.

But there were also low points—unexpected news of a family member’s cancer, drought in business endeavors, and the weight of everyday disappointments. The offer doesn’t come through, the bills continue to mount, and the friend disappoints once again.

As I reflect on the year that was, I’m reminded that life rarely unfolds the way we envision. There are twists and turns, roadblocks and detours that threaten to overwhelm our spirits. It can feel easier to give up—or at least loosen our grip on hope.

Maybe you’re there too.

Do you wish you could rewrite last year?
Are you tired of hoping when disappointment looms heavy?

Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. . . . The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. 

Exodus 14:13–14, NLT 

When anxiety tries to overcome us, it can feel much like it did for the Israelites as Pharaoh’s army chased them after they left Egypt.  

We look at overwhelming circumstances, and suddenly questions come to our minds. “Why is this happening to me? What have I gotten myself into? I should have seen this coming!” 

In those moments, we can follow Moses’s example. 

Acknowledge Both Your Fear and the Truth 

First, he acknowledges the fear the Israelites are experiencing. Then Moses offers truth—­the Lord will rescue the people. Most of us have heard the story of what happens next.  

God parts the waters of the Red Sea and the Israelites walk through it. The outcome in our lives might not be as dramatic, but the truth of this story is the same: God will make a way. He will lead us out of anxiety and into peace.  

He will guide us beyond fear and into courage. And He will replace our questions with the certainty of his unfailing love.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
-Isaiah 26:3–4

I’ve known the Lord for nearly 30 years, and as a teen, my nickname was “Faith” because I was so trusting of God and His ways. I hadn’t lived much life yet and maybe that’s why God calls us to have faith like a child.

A child trusts more because they haven’t seen much. It’s living and experiencing the world that shakes our faith in God, even though it’s people who let us down.

The Tension We Live In

We want answers. We desire certainty. We crave control. We think these things bring us security, but they don’t. In some ways, I think it only brings on more tension. When we live in a place of tension from uncertainty and control, no matter how much we get, it’s never enough. There will always be something to worry over or want to control.

When we live in this tension, we tend to live and act in fear.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one
of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
Matthew 25:40 (ESV)

At first, I felt her eyes on me across the gift shop, curious and watchful. A few minutes later, she rolled closer, a sweet young girl in a floral fall dress and warm tights, her face alight with interest.

“Can I help you?” she asked politely. Her name was Kindle. She was nine years old.

And she was in a wheelchair.

“Yes, I’d be glad for some help,” I said. I was looking for a birthday card for my husband, but nearly all of them were meant for women. Together, we settled on the most masculine one we could find.

She moved around the store with confidence, so at ease it almost seemed as if she owned it. I asked why she was there. With a bright smile, she said, “This is my shop.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. There was something about her presence, her poise, her curiosity, her joy, that filled the little shop with warmth.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanual” (which means God with us).
Matthew 1:23

Hope Deferred

It was Christmas Eve thirty years ago, sixteen months after my wedding. Sixteen months of unanswered prayers for a babe in my womb. Sixteen months of hope deferred when only one blue line appeared. Sixteen months of longing for something only God could give me and wondering every month why He withheld my heart’s desire.

I entered the sanctuary for the evening celebration of our Savior’s birth feeling hopeless, crushed in spirit. The story of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy brought tears to my eyes. She was a young lady, not yet married, not prepared for the baby God was placing in her womb. I was ready to become a mother- desperate for that honor.  Our stories couldn’t have been more opposite.  A terrified woman at the news of an unexpected pregnancy and a downcast woman because her womb remained empty. Two different burdens, both with the same need. We needed God with us. 

Hope Found

As I sat in that sanctuary and listened again to the story of Immanuel, a God who chose to dwell with us, I became saturated with hope.