If life teaches us anything, it’s this: certainty about how things will unfold is an illusion. We can't know how anything will play out. Coupled with past disappointments, it's not surprising that this reality activates a preemptive, self-protective lowering of our hopes. But for the miracle-minded, uncertainty offers a shimmering gift: it's an opening for us to place our trust in Spirit and get our expectations up! Tamping down hopefulness is the surest way to block receptivity to the good coming our way.
As a coach, I’ve seen that those who have a miracle mindset aren’t defined so much by what they expect of themselves as by their ever-growing trust in how Spirit is at work in their lives. They trust enough to expect good things. AND they trust enough to pull back on their own expectations of how things will work out.
we're not here to limit ourselves |
If we focused on avoiding disappointment, we’re forgetting the Truth of Who We Are. We are not here to limit ourselves. We are here to cultivate expansive expectations of divinely sourced joy, abundance, and love.
Sure, maybe after countless job applications or dates that go nowhere, it’s tempting to lose hope. That’s the human experience, as we set it up. But if you let the outer world set the tone for your expectations, it’s like driving with the emergency brake on and wondering why you’re stuck.
get your expectations up! |
When you let yourself get your hopes up, you’re practicing trust -- trust in the Holy Spirit, in love, and in your own worthiness to receive.
So, raise your expectations -- not because of what the world offers, but because of who you are in Spirit.
This week, take a moment to renew your trust. Your relationship with Holy Spirit is the foundation that cannot fail.
PS - If you're in the Vancouver/Portland area, join us for Mystics at the Table on Dec. 14 from 2pm - 5pm. Our theme is St. Lucia and spiritual sight / seeing in the dark. RSVP here (only 2 spots left).
To the fair friend: You've been trying hard to keep it all together, but it's time to remember that your messiest moments are filled with grace and gifts waiting to be received.
Hand-picked for you...
This totally freaks out the ego. Need a primer for Advent? Notions of good and evil flipped upside down...kind of like Jesus did? The lost art of travailing prayer. Want to destroy your ego...read this first! This modern day mystic is my kind of pilgrim (no turkeys, but lots of deep spiritual wisdom).
The root of low expectations
Almost everyone on planet Earth is dealing with lingering effects of some form of adverse childhood events. For most of us, this is where low expectations first took root... as a learned defense mechanism.
Our nervous system and ego jumped in to protect us from things that seemed painful and threatening. If you had a lot of disappointments early on, you learned to just keep your expectations low as a way to avoid getting hurt again.
So how might that show up in your daily life? Here's a little assessment:
- Do you downplay your desires and dreams?
- Do you avoid taking risks or going after big dreams?
- Do you tamp down your excitement about good things in your life?
The crazy thing is that we transpose this fear of expecting too much onto God/Holy Spirit/Christ. It's one of the first places we unplug, for fear of a soul-crushing disappointment.
We expect to be disappointed by God.
As a result we walk around hungering for spiritual nourishment, trying to find it with substitutes in the world. An endless cycle of disappointment.
Today I live in the quiet,
joyous expectation of good.
--Ernest Holmes--
You don't have to be scared of disappointment anymore… because being receptive to goodness is your natural state.
Expect good things!
|
Overheard |
|
The Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn) is a giant cat in Icelandic folklore, that roams around the countryside at Yuletide. The Yule Cat looks for people who are not nicely dressed in new clothes for the festivities and swallows them whole. @Titania2468 |
Advent is the perfect,
season to get your
expectations up!
Advent is a sacred invitation to let ourselves hope, to let ourselves believe that something good and holy is on the way -- something worth getting our expectations up for. Not in the sense of expecting life to go exactly as planned, but in opening our hearts to the possibility of good things arriving in our inner holy land. It’s about trusting that, even if you don’t yet see how, a 'gift' is making its way to you.
Gentle reassurance
For someone who struggles to trust, who fears disappointment or feels it's safer to stay guarded, let Advent be a sacred invitation. Let yourself dare to believe that God’s goodness is at work, even when you can’t see it yet. Practice trust in little ways, like lighting a candle and letting its glow remind you: Holy Spirit is coming close. Expect without attachment. Be hopeful. Be in wonder.
An expectant yes
Practice offering a quiet “yes” and receiving beyond your wildest expectations. In this space, I've experienced huge shifts that I couldn't have done alone. Let yourself expect: Good is on the way! Ask for help in preparing to receive it. Getting your expectations up during Advent is less about trusting something might happen and more about trusting that, no matter what, you are held in Love and divine goodness.
It's safe to hope again
This season whispers that it’s safe to hope again. It's safe to expect that Holy Spirit has your back! And maybe, just maybe, the gift you’re waiting for is already being delivered.
|
I'm loving right now...
😇 If you're halo's a little sideways, you'll enjoy the Busted Halo Advent Calendar
🦩 Flamingos, sequoias, people-pleasing and everything in between at The Webs We Weave
🍪 12 days of Christmas cookies (you'll have to scroll a little to find them)
🔮 Is manifesting magical thinking?
💖 A curious mindset is a superpower... oh and it might lead to miracles!
Were you forwarded this email? Click here to subscribe.
The truth in you remains
as radiant as a star,
as pure as light,
as innocent as love itself.
(ACIM, T-31.VI.7:4)