There’s a gap all of us eventually experience: the distance between what we expected and what actually happened.

We thought the job would be different. The relationship would be easier. The diagnosis would stay in the past. The conversation would go better. We believed we were following God faithfully, and we expected the road ahead to make more sense than it does.

Those gaps can be deeply frustrating. But what if our frustrations are often God’s invitation?

Mark 6 gives us the tragic story of John the Baptist. John faithfully prepared the way for Jesus. He pointed people away from himself and toward Christ. He spoke truth courageously. And where did all that faithfulness lead him? To a prison cell.

That’s not the ending we expect for someone who faithfully follows God.

Even John struggled with it. From prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus with a question: Are you really the One we’ve been waiting for? In other words, Did I get this wrong?

What’s striking is how Jesus responds. He doesn’t shame John for his doubts. He doesn’t scold him for struggling. John brings his questions toward Jesus, and Jesus receives them.

That gives us a picture of what dependence looks like when our experience doesn’t match our expectations. We run to Him in the gap.

But Herod shows us another possibility. He was fascinated by John. He liked listening to him. John’s words even caused him to question the direction of his life. Yet Herod never moved from fascination to faith. When following the truth threatened the approval, power, and status he valued most, he chose what he was already holding.

There’s a difference between being intrigued by Jesus and entrusting ourselves to Jesus.

The gaps in our lives have a way of exposing that difference. They reveal what we’re actually trusting and give us an opportunity to choose another path.

And surprisingly, we need that reminder when life is going well too. Abundance can make us just as independent as adversity. When everything feels under control, it becomes easy to forget how desperately we still need God.

Whether we’re walking through disappointment or enjoying a season of abundance, the invitation is the same: remain dependent.

When the path between where you are and where you thought you’d be becomes unclear, you don’t have to understand every turn. You can trust the One who does.

Reflection Questions

1. Where are you currently experiencing the biggest gap between what you expected and what you’re actually experiencing?
2. What might God be inviting you to reconsider, release, or trust Him with through that frustration?
3. Whether you’re experiencing difficulty or abundance, where are you most tempted to rely on yourself instead of remaining dependent on God?