It is my expectation that a new computer will boot up when plugged in. Seeing a flashing question mark, immediately squashed any hopes that this was going to be a quick set up. Hours later with much frustration, we had working computer.
Today, I was expecting a quiet afternoon to work on a couple of small projects. Hubby decided to clean the kitchen floor, cabinets and refrigerator. I know you are thinking, “Awesome.” On some level I was thinking that too, but mostly I was annoyed. The work took over the house and made my work project harder to complete. In addition, I felt guilty for not helping him.
Expectations often leave me feeling like I have fallen short. I read the scripture of the day on my Bible app everyday. Today’s scripture listed out expectations that I regularly fall short of attaining.
A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day. (Proverbs 31:10-13 MSG).
This chapter goes on to list more expectations. If this had been the first thing I had read in the Bible, I never would have picked it up again. It is easy to get wrapped up in what others think and expect of me. It is easy to become narrowly focused and miss the big picture. I have a working computer, a clean kitchen and a God who loves me without expectation.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.” (John 3:16-17 MSG).
My struggles with expectations is about me, not my husband and not God, me. I have wrapped my value in meeting expectations that I carry within me, and that is not where my value comes from. My value comes from my Creator who offers a whole and lasting life without an accusing finger. That’s the big picture. That is where I need to focus when self imposed expectations start to overwhelm.
How do you handle expectations? Do you see the big picture? Do you see the person God created you to be? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.