Expectations are a crazy thing. A lot of people have a lot of them.
1. A lot of people have expectations for college grads (aka, me) to graduate, find a good paying job in their field of study, etc. And something I've struggled with a lot in my life is trying to please all of these people and what they think I should be doing with my life. Well guess what, none of those expectations matter. Sure, it's great to graduate and to have a job in your particular area of experience after studying for it for four years, but is that really all that life is about? Umm, NO! However, I like making people happy and proud of me. And a lot of times I have a hard time realizing that people's opinions who matter (like my parents/close friends/Godly mentors/etc.) will be proud of me for living my life as I feel called by the Creator (dare I say, prouder of me) than if I had just carried out the step-by-step plan for my life that America sets up for us. I'm working on this. It's hard, but I'm working on it.
2. God has several expectations of us. For one, God expects us to bear good fruit, evidenced by certain character traits we display (Gal. 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…"). He also expects us to share this love, joy, peace, patience, etc. with others! (Matt. 28:19 "Therefore, go and make disciples…"). Our duty is not to sit around and love on ourselves, give ourselves joy, and so on, but to go and SHARE that with others! We were designed to carry out God's plan for our lives and share the Gospel (Eph. 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…"). Admittedly, not everyone is called on the Race, but everyone IS called to share the gospel in some way.
3. I have a few expectations myself, particularly concerning the Race. It's hard to not let my mind get the best of me and just start imagining exactly how everything is going to be, what all these fantastic people I meet are going to be like, how God will work, and so on. It's reallllly hard. But I don't think that's the point of having expectations of the Race. I think it is important that I have some expectations, but to also know that God is going to rock my world, and that these expectations will be blown out of the water! Here's a few of them:
B. I will learn things about God and his love that I didn't know I didn't know. I can't wait for this. I want this. Bad. Really bad. I want to know Christ at a deeper, more personal, and intense level than ever before. I want to be solely sustained by what He has already given and continues to give, rather than the ridiculous stuff that I often seek like music, financial security, good grades, etc.
C. I am going to be heartbroken for the people I meed on the Race. I desperately want to continue to develop a heart for the nations, something God has been creating in me. I already know that I am not going to want to leave a lot of the places we travel to.
D. I expect to cry. a lot. I'm not kidding. I am not a crier. I very rarely cry about anything. In fact, there's been a lot of times, especially recently, that I want to cry, but I just can't. But I know that whenever I am exhausted from trying to do things in my own strength and finally turn to rely solely on Christ's strength, endurance, perseverence, and power, I cry. Everytime.
Expectations are a crazy thing. A lot of people have a lot of them. I pray that I can let go of the ones that do not matter, focus on the ones that do, and let God blow my expectations of the Race beyond my wildest dreams.
