Expectations
Good Morning,
Psalm 62:5 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”
We all have expectations, but in most cases, they deceive us. Expectations are the romance of the mind, the meditation of the heart, and the dream of young love. All too often, those pesky expectations turn out to be disappointments and frustrations.
As I said already, we all have expectations, whether about a Christmas gift, a new job, or marriage. Often a young man gets married thinking he found someone who loves him and desires to be with him, but within a short time, often a new addition to the home robs the heart of the beautiful bride and leaves the young husband with unfulfilled expectations. In many homes, the lovely young lady marries the hero from her dreams only to find him working so many hours that she rarely sees her Prince Charming. Again, expectations are left unfulfilled.
The five-year-old enters kindergarten with expectations; often thinking it will be just like home, only with learning. Soon the child discovers that he is sharing the attention of the teacher with a group of other children – and disappointment follows.
A man accepts a new job; he expects an enjoyable work place, a good paycheck, a chance for advancement, and more; but those expectations are not always fulfilled and disappointment visits his heart.
The main point brings us back to the passage in Psalms 82; it is wise to have all our expectations resting in the Lord.
1. When trouble comes, assume God is alive and well, and that He knows what is best (believing Romans 8:28).
2. Another help to avoid unfulfilled expectations is to control who you expect to do what. Meaning, I cannot control my new boss, but I can control me. So my goal, my expectation, is to do well, to do my best, and to fulfill the responsibilities I have upon me.
With my wife, it is best to set my sights (expectations) on being a good husband and expecting nothing in return (a very difficult thing to do for sure). When disappointment creeps into my heart, before it takes root, I need to examine my own behavior and be sure I have done my part, and then be content with that action; for the heart and behavior of my spouse is not in my control.
Firstly, I need to place my expectations in Christ and His faithfulness in my world, and then secondly, seek to apply myself to the job to be the best I can be. If others miss the mark, that is not my trouble (although, on occasion, it becomes our problem).
Lastly, it is wise to remind ourselves often that we do not plan well. We do not know the future, and we do not know what will happen tomorrow; and as such, we need to be guarded about expecting anything from anyone. You might say, we ought to keep the “bar low.”
James 4:13 “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:”
vs. 14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
With that in mind, is God not wonderful when He sets up the two great commandments – love God and love your neighbor? We can do those two, at least they are more attainable than the unknown people and circumstances of the heart, the school, or the business world.
We will all face some unfulfilled expectations, but placing these guidelines might soften the blow when it does come.
Pastor