Learning to release expectations

October 20, 2015

Learning to release expectations

In my quest for unfading beauty I am learning that the root of joy is gratitude. Being thankful for the smallest gifts my heavenly Father graciously bestows. Unfortunately gratitude is not my default. But my loving Father continually gives me opportunities to open my eyes to the ugliness of my ungrateful heart.

For example, yesterday we had an amazing day planned of hiking, through one of the 7th new wonders of the world. Sounds pretty amazing! Yet, since I am married to the most frugal man in the world, we took the more economical route.

I was leery about taking the "national train" but pleasantly surprised. Yes there were some extra people sitting in the aisles and there was no food or extras but it was decent. I kept prepping myself to look for the hidden blessing and to relax and savour the moment.

Our hotel that night was simple and comfy. A one star hotel. No bells or whistles but clean and sufficient. We got up early in search for some good cheap breakfast. I was hoping for something light but nice. Maybe a little quaint café.

My money savvy hubby asked a police officer where could we get some cheap breakfast. The kind guard suggested the local market. Let me inform you about "local market restaurants". They are not known for their higiene nor taste. Yes, the food is cheap but their motto is "eat at your own risk" (ok not really but it sure seems like it). I was not pleased at all and truly struggling to be thankful. I kept praying and asking God to protect us and to help me not spoil the rest of the trip.

I was thankful for the hour hike that followed. I used most of my time praying and meditating on truth in order to respond correctly. It was definitely a battle of my will versus what I knew God's word to say.

We had a wonderful time exploring the ruins, yet still in my heart I thought “God I can understand sacrificing on a daily basis for the sake of the gospel but vacation is different, right? When we vacation it's ok to splurge to stay somewhere "nice" and to enjoy a higher standard of dining, right?"

That evening I reviewed my day and thanked my precious Father for the many blessings He graciously bestows each day. I asked Him to forgive me for wanting more and for being ungrateful.

This morning we rushed to the airport and to our my surprise, the airlines offered us an extra day in Cusco. They offered to put us up for the night at a four star hotel, pay our meals, pay our transportation, give us vouchers for later flights, as well as pay for the change of flights. I was surprised, excited, and extremely rebuked!

We took the offer...