275. What If Today Changes Everything?

What if today changes everything? When you woke up this morning, what were you expecting? Probably another ordinary day. Responsibilities to handle. People to care for. Things to check off your list.

But could today contain something you never anticipated?

In this episode of Encouragement for Real Life, Julie begins her November series, Living with Expectation, by exploring how differently we might approach our days if we expected God to be at work in them.

Not expecting Him to give us everything we want. But anticipating His presence, His activity, and His purposes in our everyday lives.

Julie shares the account of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-12. Moses was simply tending sheep when God met him in an extraordinary way. He had no idea what God had planned for that day. And the same God who met Moses is still present in our ordinary lives today.

Julie offers three practical shifts to help us live with expectation:

From assuming to anticipating.
From controlling to trusting.
From overlooking to appreciating.

She also shares a memorable story from her years working at a local mission. A donation of ice cream cones arrived one morning. Later that day, someone unexpectedly donated ice cream. It became another reminder of God’s provision.

Through Proverbs 16:9, Julie encourages us to make our plans while remaining open to God’s direction. We may know what’s on our calendar, but we don’t know the good God has planned through it.

Of course, living with expectation doesn’t mean every day will be amazingly extraordinary. But it does mean we cn recognize that God is with us, even in the moments that feel very ordinary.

So approach today with anticipation. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. And remember that God can do something meaningful right in the middle of your ordinary day.