top of page

Great Expectations, God, and Life

Jan 3

3 min read

0

41

Great Expectations, God, and Life

Pastor Leslie Woods

January 2025



The past week has been full of life, the full cycle of it. It has caused me to reflect on the great expectations we have for the new year along with the ebb and flow of life.  During Christmas, I spent some time at my parent’s house.  Dad had something that I could help him with, and I was excited to help. There were two hens that have decided it is time for them to nest. My job was to mark several eggs with pencil so that we would know those are the ones the hens are taking care of. 


I watched the hens guard their nests. The ladies were not happy with Dad poking around. They guarded their potential babies. They watched my Dad and I closely. I was then reminded of the way we personify God. Psalm 91 came to mind.  “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (verses 4-6) I enjoyed nature’s reminder of this protective presence of the Divine.  How many times have I been shielded because people who are close to me expressed their Divine Expression and were God’s hands and feet?


The hens are sitting with great expectations that all of their eggs will hatch. Yet they instinctively know, as do I, that not all of them will. But that doesn’t stop them from tending to the entire nest. If they left the nest because of possibly being disappointed that not all of them hatched, then none of them would hatch. Isn’t that how it is with our endeavors for the new year? Should we perhaps, do all that is called of us, whether we see these aspirations come to fruition this year, in coming years, or possibly not at all? I feel we should because we do, always, receive our highest good in this process. 


And just as I am enjoying life and the eagerness to see what these chicks will look like and how many hatch, I am experiencing the end of life at the turn of the new year. Our sweet chihuahua, Princess, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and is in her eternal form now.  My very human self has cried for days.  The grief is more intense than I anticipated. I began thinking of dear ones who are experiencing loss of loved ones right now. The awareness of their eternal presence being as close as our very breath is harder to tap into when the grief is so heavy. And still, I reflect back to Psalm 91. In verse 11, “And He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.”  Metaphysically, angels are Divine Messages. It is when this fullness of life awareness comes full circle. I am also reminded of the omnipresence of God. They show up in mother hens, in Dads, in pets, in nature. All of these have been Divine Presence and angels, if you will, that guard, guide and protect.


In life, God is ever present and there is one expectation which we can be certain.  We can expect that God will present themselves to us.  I fully expect Divine Presence to arise within the world around me to be active for my highest good.  It is the energy of God that is constant and unchanging. It is Principle.  In this new year, I invite you to take note of how you see God showing up, as Good, for your highest good.


Tell us about how this unfolds for you throughout the year by joining our Unity Church Austin Group on our website. unitychurchaustin.org  


Jan 3

3 min read

0

41

Wix Headers.png
Unity Church
of Austin

512-892-3000

admin@unitychurchaustin.org

5501 W. US 290

Austin, Texas 78735

  • White Instagram Icon
  • White YouTube Icon
  • White Facebook Icon

Thanks for submitting!

©2024 Unity Church of Austin. Powered and secured by Wix

bottom of page