Plans Changed in 2020

This weekend I had planned on being with family members to celebrate the holiday … but plans changed in 2020. We were going to eat too much food and watch kids play with too many toys. But a pandemic has a way of messing with the best-laid plans.

Expectations Can Change

Expectations of ourselves, of others, and the life we live are always changing. Our plans get rocked the hardest during holidays. But this holiday season, instead of dwelling on what we’re missing, let’s use this time to take stock of who we are. Are we more than what we were in 2019, or are we but a shadow of our dreams? Would our friends and family be pleased or be disappointed in who we’ve become?

When I take inventory of how 2020 has affected me, will I be disappointed when I see how I fared?

Life’s experiences hit us all. While 2020 has hit many of us harder than others, I tried to see what I could control and what I could not. It was up to me to make the best decisions where I could. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t disappointments along the way.

Dealing With Disappointments

We become disappointed when our expectations aren’t met. If we cannot control our situations, we can still own our expectations. Like seeking to fulfill God’s purpose. Or by staying focused on what the right thing is to do today. Through this past year, I’ve made a boatload of bad decisions, but I’d like to think I’m better because of the experiences. And I learned that offering up all those dark corners of my life to Christ allowed him in to cover those sins with the healing grace and mercy he has waiting for all of us.

 

A Different Viewpoint

What can you do to manage your disappointments in 2020? Adjust your focus on 2021. Ponder Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If others are disappointed in who I became in 2020, Christ loves me.

If others can’t get beyond my brokenness, Christ loves me.

If I let friends down and took a different path than they wanted for me, Christ loves me.

It’s funny. Even though my plans changed in 2020, I can look back over the year and it doesn’t seem as daunting as it once did …because Christ loves me.

Where do You Go From Here?