A while back I read a news story about a 52 year-old woman in Illinois, who was arrested after she punched, kicked, and scratched a male stripper at her daughter's bachelorette party.

It seems Jacqueline McMahon was upset when the stripper ended his performance sooner than expected and, according to reports, had not paid enough attention to the bride-to-be.

Is that sad, or what?

Well, she pleaded guilty to charges of assault, and was sentenced to 30 days of court supervision. She also had to pay the 28 year-old victim $2,500. That should make him feel better. (Maybe he can buy himself a new outfit or something.)

Anyway, this is a case of what I call, "Unfulfilled Expectations."

Unfulfilled expectations are those times in life when things don't turn out the way you thought or hoped they would.

The older I get, the more I think that few things in life turn out the way we "thought they would" or "hoped they would."

When I shared these thoughts with someone recently, they suggested I might be a "fatalist."

Now, I wasn't quite sure what a fatalist was, but I didn't think it sounded like something I wanted to be.

A fatalist is defined as: "anyone who submits to the belief that they are powerless to change their destiny."

Well, I certainly don't believe that.

As a matter of fact, I am a strong believer in free will, and that the choices we make each and every day frame our lives -- and our destinies.

Nevertheless, there are times when things don't work out like we'd hoped (like when the male stripper doesn't pay enough attention to the bride-to-be).

But, rather than punching, kicking, scratching, and screaming when life doesn't go your way, you need to remember this:

"We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. " Romans 8:28

That, my friend, gives us reason to hope--for when all is said and done, everything will turn out all right!

You've got His Word on it!

think on these things...

Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.

Romans 4:18-24 (NLT)
When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children. Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised. And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous. Now this wonderful truth--that God declared him to be righteous--wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead.

Copyright 2004 Randall Gearhart

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