Expectation?

I have said before that I do not want to be a whiny blogger, and it sure seems that my posts of late are more negative than positive.  I cannot express what the last two and a half years have looked like in my life.  They have certainly seemed more difficult than years past, and it has seemed that every time I thought we were beginning to move out of a crisis, we were hit with another one. 

The last year takes the cake on many levels.  I used to say that my first year of teaching was the worst year of my life.  I felt like I had no life as I struggled to compile fresh lesson plans for the entire year.  It was like working two full time jobs with a part-time job thrown in as was necessary for Andy and me to pay our rent.  It was very tough.  Eighteen years later in my career, I have witnessed the staff with whom I have spent more of my life than with my own family ripped apart by the state's measures to fix a school in crisis.  On top of that, we have, as a group, faced numerous personal crises.  Now I think this past year has replaced that one as the worst.

Two and a half years ago, our family faced a major adjustment when Wyatt joined us.  He amazes me in what he has overcome in that time, but the road was very far from easy.  School was especially daunting for all of us.  Since the day he joined our family, we have faced school struggles, financial challenges, major loss, and lots of turmoil.  MaryBeth Chapman tells her children that they have been called to do hard, and they can do hard.  I would not want to carry the loss she has faced, but I am definitely tired of "hard' in my life.

In the past week, tough decisions have weighed on my mind.  I can only compare the last few weeks, maybe even months, to feeling like I am hanging from a bungee cord and swinging from side to side and bouncing up and down. I have no safe place (if you know me, you know that I would never trust a stretchy cord suspended from some great height).

All of this to say that over the past few weeks, these verses have come up five times that I can count.  I almost have it memorized, and I am not good at memorization.  Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever hope.  May He be given the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen  Ephesians 3:20-21
It has come up every single time in Bible study.  I am working through two studies now, and it has come up in both on a couple of occasions.

Priscilla Shirer went to great lengths to explain the implications of this verse offering several practical examples.  My favorite example, by far, went like this.  To explain the Biblical meaning of infinitely more, it would be like going out of town for the weekend and telling your children that they must have their bedrooms clean before your return.  (I must insert here that if my children did that, I would be amazed).  Upon your return you find the entire house clean (okay this seems infinitely more than I could imagine).  You then notice a nice aroma in the house, and the kids say to you that they know that you should relax after your trip, so they will have dinner ready shortly....okay, this is totally over the top. According to Priscilla, this is what the verse is about, a God that will go over the top in surprising you. 

Do I see evidence that God is at work to do more than I can ask or imagine?  Not really. Should I be expecting that He will?  I really don't know as this could be random that this keeps appearing.  I will not get my hopes up, but this is certainly interesting.