My One and Only Expectation

 

Expectations. We all have them. Maybe it’s a job, a relationship, or an economic status. As humans we often strive for one expectation after the next; always scrambling to obtain an outcome we’ve envisioned for so long.

 

Sometimes we have expectations put on us by others. If you’re single I’m sure you’re familiar with that one relative at family reunions who always asks with a pointed gaze and a concerned brow, “Are you dating anyone? Have you found that special person yet? You should get out there and try harder.”

 

Or maybe you’re climbing up the corporate ladder and the words of your parents are ringing in your ears, “Be sure to make something of your life.” So you work and you strive and you toil in expectation that one day you really will make something of your life.

 

Expectations are not bad in and of themselves. It’s not bad to want to be successful at what you do, or to desire a relationship. It’s not even bad to want those things for others; but expectations can only get us so far. Our expectations can fuel us with strength and passion, but all too often with that passion comes the sting of shame and desperation.

 

I’m a vision oriented person. I set my heart on a goal and I race after it. Some could say I’m a bit obsessive compulsive in that way. I’m an artist and a dreamer and a writer. I project my expectations on the canvas of my brain and stare at them in hopes that they will give me the strength I need to get to the next level of my dream.

 

Or at least I used to. But not anymore. I’ve found a better way.

 

I’ve found that setting my heart on an earthly expectation—even a good one like ministry will eventually lead to frustration and disappointment when things don’t go the way I imagined them to go. At the very least they prove to be an inadequate motivation compared to the one I’ve found now.

 

My Only Expectation

 

My one and only expectation is this: God will. That’s it. The one thing I expect with all certainty and confidence is that God will be who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. He is good and He will work all things out for my good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28). He will open the door to all who answer His knock; He will reward the genuine seeker with more of Himself (Matt. 7:7, Jer. 29:13), and that’s all I really want in life.

 

Because you see, for me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21). My life’s purpose can be summed up in Galatians 2:20 which says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (NLT).

 

My goal, my prize, is not a distinguished career, an esteemed degree, or even a family of my own. The greatest gift I receive on this earth is knowing God with ever increasing intimacy and living out my life as an adventure with Him.

 

Sure there are certain dreams He’s placed in my heart—certain outcomes that I imagine will come to pass, but all of those are worthless if they become more of a motivation than God Himself. I’ve learned not to hold too tightly to my own embellishments of God’s plan.

 

In fact I don’t want to get so consumed with my own step by step plan because this God of mine has shown over and over again that He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20, NIV).

 

What seems immeasurably more to God may not seem immeasurably more to us—at least not at first; but the more we cling to Him and seek His face, the more our eyes will be opened to see what He sees.

 

True Freedom

 

It’s incredibly freeing to let go of all my expectations except God. For instance, I’m going on a trip in a few days. It’s a trip that came together quite spontaneously and God has opened one door after another bringing forth opportunities I never dreamed would happen.

 

People have asked me, “What are you expecting from this trip?” And though my imagination runs wild with possibilities, my heart knows the true answer, “I expect to see God.” Because my purpose—the thing that breathes life into my soul, is to go wherever God wants me to go and do whatever He wants me to do.

 

This concept goes beyond a simple trip. It’s amazing how freeing it is to set aside expectations about relationships, careers, or even dreams I’ve had my whole life—because as I lay down all the images I’ve conjured in my head of what the future might be, I am free to live in the moment and revel in the joy and excitement and spontaneous adventure of my relationship with God.

 

I can’t tell you what joy it brings me to know that my life doesn’t have to look like someone else’s. I don’t have to have an established career, achieve monetary success, get married, have kids, and own a white picket fence by the time I’m 35.

 

My purpose in life is not to build my own kingdom, but to advance the kingdom of God. Will all those other things happen? Maybe. But they’re not what motivates me to wake up every morning. They’re not the passion that pulses through my veins, filling me with urgency and downright delight to be about my Father’s business.

 

When I wake up I don’t eagerly expect to catapult into a successful career or bump into a drop dead gorgeous guy to spend my life with. When I wake up I expect to encounter God. I expect that if I seek Him, He will reveal Himself to me. If I offer up my meager life to Him, He will use it for His glory.

 

I expect miracles to happen, captives to be set free, obstacles to be conquered, wounds to be healed, and hearts to be reached by the love and truth of Jesus Christ. I expect my God to be who He says He is. I expect Him to do what He says He will do.

 

Maybe one day I will have a successful career. Maybe one day I’ll have a platform that reaches all across the globe or find an awesome guy to spend my life with; but what a pity it would be for me if any of those things became my ultimate goal on this earth. How sad it would be if my priorities slipped and my eyes got fooled into searching amongst the things of this world for my source of worth or joy or purpose in life.

 

All of those things are meaningless lest Christ remains at the center of my life. All those things I mentioned will amount to a wreaking pile of emptiness and disappointment and despair unless God remains the motive for every breath I breathe and every heart beat that pushes life blood through my veins.

 

I do not exist to live a charmed life. I live to be poured out for the cause of Christ because my heart has been taken captive by a love so strong that to not pursue it would be more than I could bear; to not revel in ever-deepening awe at the majesty of God; to not experience with ever-increasing confidence the power of God; to not descend with ever-developing intimacy into the love of God—that is a thought that chills me to my very bones.

 

I need to stop coming up with excuses when people ask why I haven’t reached certain milestones. I need to stop hypothesizing when people ask me where I’m going in life—because the truth is I don’t know. And that’s okay.

 

James 4:13-14 says, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that’” (NLT).

 

Why waste time asking God to bless my little plans born from my limited perspective when I could instead ask Him to lead me, by faith, where He wants me to go, to accomplish what He wants me to do—regardless what that path may look like in the eyes of society?

 

When someone asks me, “Where are you going in life?”

I will reply, “I am going wherever God wants me to go.”

When they ask, “What do you expect to be doing in five years?”

I will say, “I expect to be more in love with Christ, more confident in my faith, and more effective in sharing the Gospel. I expect to see the power of the Living God at work in my life, using my weakness to bring Him glory and help others to see what an incredible, just, and loving God He is.”

 

God never promises a life of ease and luxury. He never promises smooth sailing, instant fame—or even fame at all (because what good would it do for others to know my name lest it be but a forgettable bridge to the One who is truly worthy of being made known—the One whose very name brings redemption and the saving of souls?).

 

The One Thing God Promises

 

The one thing God does promise us on this earth, is more of Himself. If that does happen to include any of the earthly benefits I mentioned before that’s just icing on the cake.

 

It’s not the things I receive or the people I meet that thrills me—it’s the sensation of seeing the Almighty God of the universe at work in my own tiny sphere that astounds me. It’s His companionship—His love—that fills me to the point of excess, causing joy and love and compassion to come pouring over the edges of my life, spilling onto others.

 

Life with Christ is ridiculously awesome. When I realize that my God is good, that He loves me unconditionally, and that He’s continuously at work all over the world and that I get the chance—the privilege—of making His name known on earth…well I can’t help but be filled with sheer delight and enthusiasm. ❤

When it All Seems Impossible: God Can

 

I struggled to write this post. The spark of inspiration fizzled as I attempted to unravel my thoughts into a coherent line of prose. Everything I wrote came out disjointed and uninspired.

 

Several frustrated attempts and a few Oreos® later (okay maybe more than a few) God emptied my brain of all productive thought and replaced my frantic scrawlings with these two words: God can.

 

When you’re dreams are too big and you feel so small, God can.

When the obstacles you face tower over you and you’re filled with fear, God can.

When all your striving amounts to nothing and you feel like an utter failure, God can.

When your resources are spent and you have no clue how you’re gonna make ends meet, God can.

When your weaknesses and inadequacies make you feel like God could never use you, God can.

When your calling seems impossible and your passion is impractical, God can.

When all is lost, God can.

When you’re at the end of your rope, God can.

When your strength is gone and you’re weak and tired, God can.

When you’re beat up and scarred by your own mistakes and you think you’ve fallen too far to be loved, God can. And He does.

 

All those words I tried to say—all those notebook pages I crumpled up and threw in the trash—were an attempt to communicate this truth: that when we can’t, God can. Psalm 121:1 says, “I look up to the mountains–does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (NLT).

 

I don’t know where you’re at. I don’t know if you’re chasing a dream that seems impossible, following a calling that seems impractical, waiting for a relationship that seems improbable, or holding onto a promise that sounds unfathomable. Whatever it is that God’s placed on your heart that you yearn to see come to fruition, let me share with you the two words He whispered to my own soul: God can.

 

In Luke 18:27 Jesus tells us, “”What is impossible for people is possible with God.” I think so often we get caught up wondering what the end goal’s gonna look like. We hear a word from God and try to fashion it into an image we can hang on the wall and strive for. And that’s a dangerous thing to do, because either the vastness of the goal can overwhelm us, or the outcome itself can become more important to us than God.

 

Our eyes shouldn’t be on our circumstances, ourselves, or even the outcome of a dream. Our eyes should remain on God alone. We are not promised that things will work out exactly the way our finite minds imagine them to. In fact, we’re pretty much guaranteed that God will continue to surprise us. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (NLT).

 

So many times I expect God to come through in one way or another, but He doesn’t, and when that happens my human heart is prone to doubt and discouragement. But every time God doesn’t do something when or how I want it to be done, He ends up surpassing all my expectations and works everything together in a way only He, the God of the universe, ever could.

 

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 41:17-20 which says, “When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.

 

“I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground. I will plant trees in the barren desert… I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means—that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it” (NLT).

 

Do your dreams seem impossible? Do your needs seem unmeetable? Does God’s promise to you seem doubtful at best? Fantastic. You’re right on track. So many times throughout the Old Testament God allowed the children of Israel to face towering obstacles.

 

So many times He allowed them to find themselves in what seemed to be hopeless situations, and each time He rescued them. Why? Why let the obstacle get so big? Why let the circumstances get so hard? Why let the promise seem so ridiculous?

 

His answer is always the same, “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you…” (Ex. 6:7 NLT). The scariest times of my life have also become the most victorious. The dreams that seemed impossible have become the most fulfilling. Why?

 

Because I was able to see the hand of God, my Heavenly Father, at work and be amazed; and as my heart wells up with worship for this great and mighty God I serve, it’s filled with something else as well: Love. Every obstacle God allows, every bizarre promise that He makes is done so with the intent to draw you into a deeper understanding of His love and—in time—enable you to share that love with others.

 

When the enemy tries to speak discouragement and defeat over me, I turn my eyes to One who loves me; the One who gave Himself for me; the One who holds me—even now in the midst of this impossible circumstance—in the safety of His arms.

 

Are you feeling discouraged today? Do you feel like giving up? Turn your eyes toward God; the Creator of the world; the One who loves you and gave Himself for you.

 

If He’s given you a dream, He will bring it to pass.

If He’s allowed an obstacle, He will help you overcome it.

If He’s given you a promise, He will fulfill it “for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23, NIV).

 

Our job is to live each day—each moment, in faith; to be confident in the midst of uncertainty because of the love of the One who has paid our debt, saved our souls, and drawn our wandering hearts to His own.

 

In 2 Timothy 1:11 Paul says, “God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (NLT).

 

God chose you. If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you are a child of His. He has a purpose and a plan for your life. You don’t have to shudder in fear when the enemy comes spitting his lies. Instead, you can rest in the love of your Heavenly Father and say with confidence and faith, “I know the One in whom I trust.” God will take care of the rest. ❤