Expectations

I spent this morning reading and rereading a devotion from Skye Jethani.  Wish we could just sit down, drink a cappuccino and talk about it.  Very powerful.  

So many times we have expectations and we bring them to situations and relationships.  I was talking to someone yesterday from England.  It was about raising children, always a touchy subject even if you are from the same culture!  

But as we talked I came to the realisation how very different we were looking at something and it had cause me to think one thing about her and she was thinking something about me that was not true.  What we thought was reflecting how we had been treating each other.  It was good to talk, I don't know if we solved anything, but to be open, honest and real was refreshing.

Sometime I don't think we are even aware of our expectations, but they still affect us.  What I was thinking about this lady affected how I was treating her and any relationship we might have.

Here is part of Skype's devotion ......

The people thought Jesus, the powerful prophet from Galilee, was going to Jerusalem to perform His miracles and deliver God's people from the oppression of the Romans.  They expected Him to be a political liberator and a military Messiah.  

Jesus, however, refused to conform to their expectations.  The people were so disillusioned with Him, so disappointed at their unmet expectations, that their shouts on Sunday of "Hosanna Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" by Friday had become shouts of, "Crucify Him!"  Later in the day as He hung upon the cross, the people again assaulted Jesus with their expectations.  "Prove you are the Messiah," they said, "and come down from there.  Save yourself."  One final time Jesus refused to meet their expectations.  

Like the crowds in Jerusalem, we assume God exists to meet our expectations and grant us our desires.  When He does not, we conclude that He is either a fraud or a liar.  What we fail to see is that Jesus loves us too much to meet our expectations, just as He loved the people of Jerusalem too much to save Himself.  He accepts our anger, our disappointment, and our rejection because He refuses to be the Saviour we want.  Love compels Him to be the Saviour we need. 

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Do you have expectations today ....regarding someone, for yourself .......with God .....are you aware of them?  Are they affecting how you relate to someone, yourself or with God?

Be honest about them .....ask God to show you if you don't know or are not aware?  

Are they expectations that are right, good and serving ......are they true?

Or are they wrong?

With someone else, do you need to talk to them?  Take them for a cappuccino, talk about it!

If it is with God .....be real with Him.  Maybe you just need to trust He is the Creator, He knows .....and sometime we do not understand everything.  

Hmmmm expectations .......