One of the first things that we were told at training camp was to abandon our expectations (an unvoiced desire/need that we believe is going to be met at a certain time or in a certain way). At the time, I didn’t think that was going to be a problem. I thought I had that one under control.
This past week, I discovered I was wrong. God has been pointing out to me that I tend to have expectations when I shouldn’t.
I’ve set expectations on so many things in my life without really realizing it. See we don’t know we have expectations set until they aren’t met. It ranges from big things to little things.
I’ve set expectations on how a conversation should go.
I’ve set expectations on how a season of my life should go.
I’ve set expectations on how a particular relationship should look.
The list goes on. The thing is when those expectations aren’t met I end up disappointed. Our emotional reactions reveal what our expectations are.
God showed me that I tend to paint a picture of what I think something should look like and then when the picture doesn’t turn out how I wanted I’m hurt or upset. I’m trying to control how things should go when I need to go to God with a blank canvas and trust that he will paint a picture far better than I could have ever painted. God has a better plan for my life than I could ever imagine. When I realize an expectation is in place and I get upset, I need to surrender it to God. I need to wipe the canvas clean and turn it over to him.
What expectations do you have in place? I pray that we will each give God the canvas in every situation and let him paint the picture how it should be. I know God has a beautiful picture painted for my World Race. I’m choosing to trust him and his plan. I’m starting my race with a blank canvas!
