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Expectations



"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1

You were waiting for this big event. It was going to change your life. Counting down to the big day was like watching paint dry. The moment you’d been waiting for finally arrived. But wait…it wasn't so special after all. What happened?

You expected it to be better than that. Expectations are such a plague.

My expectations are a Me-Problem. Your expectations are a You-Problem.

You waited for your wedding day and when it finally arrived, you soon discovered that weddings come with marriages attached. Marriages are a work of heart.

You waited to have a baby and then you finally gave birth to the most demanding little boss you’ve ever met. Parenting is a work of heart.

 You expected more of that person, but they disappointed you. Relationships are a workout for the heart.

 Expectations magnify events to epic proportions. No wonder they fail to please us. 

When we're waiting for any change in life, it usually comes with a vision in our minds of how life will be once our expectations are met. Visions hold hands with expectations, skipping into our lives looking so ideal, and then reality shows up.

God waits for us to get this: He doesn’t want us looking at tomorrow on the calendar with longing in our hearts. He also doesn't want us stuck in the past. He wants us to live the moments He grants us. Why are we squandering today’s moments on the yesterday we no longer possess or the tomorrow that has yet to come?

Our expectations are in constant combat with reality. It is very rare that the things we’re expecting live up to our imaginations. What can we do with our tendency to live in a state of continuous waiting for people, places, and things to live up to our dreams?

We can take all expectations to God and leave them as prayer requests. When we transform an expectation into a request, we can detach from it. Our demanding expectations do not have to rule us. We can unplug the power of expectations by passing them to the Lord and leaving them there.

Expectation is not a bad word. It's actually biblical, when it comes in the form of hope rather than a demand. If we're pouting because something didn't go the way we wanted, that is demanding expectation. When we're able to sincerely pray, "Lord, your will be done," that is hopeful expectation. Prayer transforms demanding expectations into hopeful expectations. 

Hopeful expectations are never followed by adult temper tantrums because whatever happens, we have already accepted that God is doing what is best for our lives. Abandon the demanding expectations. Trade them for hope.
"And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee." Psalm 39:7
Francie Taylor


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Comments

  1. LeslieJune 26, 2019 at 9:24 PM

    I think part of our problems with expectations today is how entitled we feel as well - that whole cultural takeover of self. I am thankful for that blessed hope as you mentioned too! 💚 Thank you for your reminders and encouraging words.

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