Sunday, March 17
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. 2And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. 3When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ 5And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’ 7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. –Acts 3:1-10
The beggar had low expectations. He wasn’t hoping to be able to walk; he wasn’t even hoping for a better life. All he dared to hope for was a few coins so he could survive.
There are lots of good reasons to have low expectations, to moderate our hopes and dreams. Sometimes it’s necessary to let go of wild dreams in order to appreciate what we have and create a good life based in reality. Often we lower our expectations and moderate our hopes in order to protect ourselves from disappointment.
The beggar had good reason to have low expectations. But Peter and John looked deep inside of him and saw hope he didn’t even know he had. Peter grabbed his hand and lifted him up–and he walked and leapt and praised God.
This story invites us to ask questions about our own expectations and hopes. Have we lowered them so far we miss out on possibilities? What would it mean to dare to dream big?
God of hope, bless us with wisdom and discernment, that we may know when it is time to let go of wild dreams, and when it is time to dare to hope big. Amen.