I must admit that this meal is for me and I hope that it will help someone else in the process. I have really been stretched the last few years and sometimes find myself asking why a certain expectation has not been met. So welcome to my release party.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come before you on behalf of my brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere to say thank You this morning for the Rock of our salvation. I thank You that our lives can be built upon a strong foundation. Please help us to trust, to live, to take every breath based upon the foundation we have in You. Please help us to weather life’s storms, to keep looking to You, and to be thankful children, never pouting brats. I pray that You will strengthen us and keep our feet steady on solid ground. I pray for our family members, Lord, that each one will be committed to You and live a life that glorifies You and ministers to others. In the blessed name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
EXPECTATIONS
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. – Philippians 1:20
Have you ever had expectations that did not get fulfilled? Maybe a coworker let you down. Possibly you were trusting God for something in your life that never materialized. Perhaps you became devastated by an unmet expectation that you felt you were entitled to. Expectations can be a difficult trap for each of us if we are not fully committed to God’s purposes in our lives.
Apostle Paul wrote the above verse from prison to the people of Philippi. He had an expectation that his life would bring glory to God, whether through his continued ministry or his death. His joy in living was not based on his expectations getting fulfilled, but on remaining true to the purpose for which God made him.
When we react to circumstances with bitterness and resentment as a result of unmet expectations, we are saying that we know better than God, and that God has made a mistake in not meeting our expectations. The process of resolving unmet expectations may require full disclosure to the individual who was the source of the unmet expectation, and of how the unmet expectation made you feel. This is not to make the person feel obligated to meet the expectation, but simply to share your feelings about it.
If God was the source, then it is important to share this with the Lord. However, once we have done this we must let go of the situation and allow God to work in our hearts the grace that is needed to walk in freedom from the pain of the unmet expectation. If we don’t do this, we will allow the seed of bitterness and resentment to enter in. This seed of bitterness will create leanness in our soul and eventually will spread to others.
Ask yourself today if you have any unmet expectations. How have you responded to them? Have you processed this with the Lord and others who may be involved? These are the steps to freedom from unmet expectations.
Quote of the Day
A true prayer is an inventory of needs, a catalog of necessities, an exposure of secret wounds, a revelation of hidden poverty. ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon~