| |
Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
|
| |
encouragement in things that matter |
|
| |
Expectations
|
|
| |
Have you ever opened a gift, certain of its contents, only to be disappointed? You did make a wish list and you did make sure your husband saw it. Your last review at work, was it what you expected? In your opinion, you’ve been excelling in people skills, taking on additional tasks without being asked, developing more efficient job skills. What about your teenager, or maybe your toddler? You went over your expectations for her, clearly defined them, and set some boundaries with consequences for ignoring them. What happened? Do our experiences with God sometimes reflect a similar frustration? Have you ever said, "I prayed and I’m just trusting God to make it happen"? Sometimes our thinking believes that when we do everything "right," or at least as right as we know to do, that God will always reward our "rightness." And then there is our concept of a loving and caring God who would never allow such a tragedy into our lives. Please understand. Our God is loving and caring. Our God does answer prayer. He does delight in our obedience. But, He does not always meet our expectations. What about God’s promises? We can expect God to be true to the clearly expressed promises in His Word. We can expect Him to be true to His character. We can expect Him to fulfill His plans and purposes. The problem comes when I create my own set of promises about how God works or responds. I may try to manipulate God, or I may be unwilling to look beyond myself to see God’s purposes. God desires for me to want Him more than I want Him to meet my expectations. He is a loving and caring God of incalculable grace and enablement. His presence is as close as my own heartbeat – always. His purposes may sometimes be beyond my understanding, but rather than "expecting," He asks me simply to trust and keep on walking with my hand in His. |
|
| |
|
— Bev |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
