Great Expectations



Some people have turned expectations into a dirty word.  I remember my first husband telling me that he did not want to get me a birthday gift because I expected it.  Absurd I thought.  But I tried the concept anyway.  And I still got nothing.  To avoid the pain of never receiving, I learned to abandon my expectations all together.  Before I knew it, I came to expect nothing.  And my life still sucked. 
After a few years of existing this way, I had a revelation.  Things had become so bad.  There was a lot of praying going on.  God, give me a man I can follow.  God, give me a man who sees me as a blessing, and not a curse.  I learned to come boldly and expectantly for my needs and desires.  And one day, it happened.  Just like that.  My request was fulfilled.  Would it never have happened had I not expected it?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that it did not happen until I asked for it and expected it. 
So to those spreading the notion that expectations are somehow wrong, I want to say stop!  God tells us to come boldly and expectantly before Him.  We are lowly humans.  We are not Him.  Yet, His design is that we learn to behave like Him toward one another.  So, why would our God tell us to expect from Him, but never to expect from one another?  And never to allow others to expect from us?
When you work, do you not expect to get paid?  When you water a flower, do you not expect it to bloom?  When you study, do you not expect to receive and A?  Society is built on expectations.  Though not everyone complies, we are expected not to kill anyone.  We are expected to care for our children.  We are expected to drive on the right side of the road.  We are expected to treat our spouse kindly.  
So, the next time you cringe because someone expects something from you, think.  Is this a reasonable expectation that will yield good?  Am I resisting just because I feel threatened or controlled by the expectation?  And if, like I was, you are a person who has relinquished all expectations, remember to be bold and expectant.  Some expectations yield amazing things!
A footnote:  Remember to expect the right things from yourself.

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