At the beginning of Lent we have expectations. If we are fasting for example, we expect to lose weight, but to expect to lose forty pounds in forty days is not realistic. But it isn’t wrong to expect progress or to feel better. If you serve others it is not unrealistic to feel good about what you are doing, but to expect sainthood for forty days worth of service ain’t gonna happen. If we are not careful, our expectations become demands on ourselves and others, and when things don’t work out as we expect, we start to wallow in self-pity, get angry with ourselves or others, or drop our discipline all together.
We are human, and when our expectations don’t result from our actions, its time to engage in a conversation with God. Ask: “What do I do now?,” “What should I have learned,” and “Do I keep on doing the right thing, no matter what?”
The Lenten season is a time of self-healing, simply trust in God and clean house. The results may not be what you expect, but they will be very pleasing to God and yourself.
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