Great expectations.

It’s more than just the name of the literary classic by Dickens.

It’s the best descriptor of my feelings about this blog.

When I began my own blog, I had very low expectations. Both of myself and my blog. I didn’t expect to enjoy writing as much as I do; I really didn’t think I’d find the time, much less make the time for it. I also didn’t expect anyone to read it, save my very closest of close friends.

Turns out my expectations were exceeded to an extent that I can’t even begin to describe.

Let me explain:
I never dreamed that I would love blogging, and that my writing would encourage and humor (and sometimes provoke!) not just me, or my local friends, but women from across the globe. But I do, and it did.

I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that perfect strangers would read my blog, and that some of those strangers would turn out to be people in my church. But they did, and they are.

And lastly, I never expected to find connection through an online community of bloggers, much less make real friends that I truly care for, pray for, and keep up with. But I have.

And so those wonderful surprise benefits of blogging have now become my expectations for this UPC women’s blog that we’ve decided to call cravinggrace.org.

As I write this, I find myself afraid to put “I expect…” for fear of my own disappointment should these expectations not translate into reality. So in the name of being honest, I’ll call them “hopes”:

I hope that women of all ages and stations will find encouragement and challenges and humor here.

I hope that women will read and comment on this blog, only to find out that the perfect strangers that submit such interesting, insightful and funny comments aren’t actually strangers, but real women that sit next to them in the Worship Service on Sunday morning.

I hope that this blog will be a catalyst for both community and connection, driving women to befriend one another in real life, caring for, praying for, and talking to one another every stinking chance they get.

But most of all, I expect that God himself will be glorified through our humble efforts to love and support each other through this simple blog.

And I’m not the least bit afraid to call that last one an expectation, because I believe that God will be glorified in all this…if we’ll just give Him half a chance!

[copyrighted image courtesy of Norman Walsh. To see his other beautiful flower photography, click here.]