Expectations
Training camp is in 4 days! The World Race has a motto regarding training camp: “Lose your expectations.” Apparently, things that happen at training camp cannot be predicted. For me (and I’m sure for others), it’s hard to NOT have my head spinning from all my thought-up expectations. So here’s my two cents on “expectations”. Expectations significantly influenced my life such that I talked about them in my valedictorian speech.
Below is an excerpt from the address I wrote for the graduating class of 2014 at Ambrose University as the 2014 undergraduate valedictorian. Oh man was I nervous up there! I felt huge expectations and I always aim to fulfill the expectations that I feel were laid upon me. I have struggled with expectations throughout my university career – expectations that I have put on myself and expectations that I feel other people have for me. The portion of my speech addresses how I think the only way of dealing with expectations – fulfill God’s expectations for you. Sometimes other people’s expectations line up with God’s and other times they don’t. The difficult part is trying to distinguish one from the other.
“…I want to leave you with an encouragement related to expectations and how I have struggled with them during my university career. I have always aimed to fulfill expectations that I perceive other people have for me. That is, my parents, family, friends, and professors. Since I received an “A” in the past I must continue that trend. A “B” would be completely unacceptable and would fail their “expectations” as well as my own. Although that attitude has pushed me to the podium I am speaking to you from tonight, it does not come without its sacrifices, hardship, second thoughts, and the strong sense of apathy towards school that I have regretfully developed in my final year of university that, I truly believe, would be absent if I pursued God’s expectations rather than the world’s. I encourage you not to aim to fulfill the expectations that you perceive the world has for you, but to identify, pursue, and fulfill God’s plan for you. Since other people’s expectations of you are based on your past actions the more you act in obedience to God the more people will expect you to continue your acts of obedience. That means that your loved one’s expectations for you will begin to emulate God’s and help push you towards your podium; whatever your podium ends up to be. I’ll end with some words of truth that I find encouraging: Philippians 1:6 “He who began a work in you will bring it to completion.”…”
Expectations that people have for you (or expectations that you have for a certain situation) can help you to become the human being God created you to be.
