They tell you to not have expectations. Well that’s certainly easier said than done.
As humans, we always want to know what’s coming next. We want to know all the facts, how everything will play out from A to Z, and we don’t want to be caught off-guard or unprepared. We aren’t likely to jump into a situation unless we can affirm we have some sort of say in the outcome. We can handle some calculated risk, but let’s be honest, we’re terrified of the unknown. The funny thing is, that’s what we would call faith.
Today was my college graduation. Today was the day we said goodbye to our undergrad days and welcomed the exciting and intimidating new prospects of our future. Today was the day we turned our tassels and turned toward a new phase in life. Today was also the day we once again faced the eternal question of “So, what are you going to do with your life now?”
And though the idea of deciding precisely what we will do for the rest of our lives seems overwhelmingly daunting (and somewhat unneccesary- we’re only 22, goodness!), I’m beginning to think it’s important that we figure it out now.
I don’t necessarily mean choosing what career path you will take, though that’s a heavy decision as well. I’m talking about what you are going to DO with your life. What will you be known for? What kind of person do you aspire to be after you have crossed that stage into the real world?
And what makes this decision so hard- expectations.
Fortunately, we are all uniquely created and will each live out a story that is nowhere near the same as our friends’. Unfortunately, we tend to forget this as we plan out our life to the last minute of every day, according to what everyone else is doing. Even though we’re all different, we think that what works for one person, or even most, must be the logical path for all. We begin to expect.
We expect our life to look like so-and-so’s and our experiences to look like XYZ. And when it doesn’t, we either become disappointed or end up taking the reins ourselves. We say to God, ‘It should have turned out like this…’ or ‘I wish things were different. Let me try to fix it.’
What we don’t realize is that He always planned for it to work out perfectly. He really does want the best for us. But how can we allow Him to supernaturally move if we crowd out His plans with our human expectations?
Matthew 16:25 says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” Here Jesus is telling us a profoundly simple, yet practically unbelievable truth: Have faith.
Letting go of expectations is hard. Whether it’s your own or those of your family, friends, and society. However, choosing faith over the comforts of predictability allows God to work fully in and through you like never before.
Deciding to commit to the World Race tests every Racer’s faith. We surrender an entire year to the Lord as we go out to the nations, not knowing what’s in store for us. We aren’t guaranteed any comforts that living in America offers, and are entrusted with bringing the hope of Jesus to people we’ve never met before. Truthfully, there are more unknowns than knowns on this journey.
Yet I believe Jesus when he said we will find this abundant life if we only give up what we think is best, normal and expected. If we live with no expectations except in the hope and love of Christ.
So as this graduation day ends and the next chapter begins, I turn to Isaiah who beautifully responded to the Lord’s call of faith:
“Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?'”
“I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.'”
Isaiah 6:8
