Casandra Martin

It didn’t fit. Shaking my head, I stood by the mirror and checked my reflection again. The package arrived in the mail after days of my waiting and watching for its arrival. I had ordered a new dress online, sure that it would be the flattering, practical answer to my wardrobe dilemma. Now, turning this way and that, there was just no denying that reality didn’t meet my expectations.

Expectations are interesting, sometimes difficult, things. Within an expectation, we set our hopes and our anticipation about tomorrow. Some expectations are grounded in experience. We expect that the red light is going to eventually turn green. Other expectations are grounded in communication with others. I expect to meet my friend at noon because that is when we agreed to get together for lunch. These expectations shape our movements and direct our behavior.

The expectations that get me in trouble are the ones I develop on my own. I have a tendency to set expectations that are not necessarily based on experience or interaction, but rather my own desires. I set a standard for the behavior of others that is defined by what will benefit me. If they love me, they will…. call me, see me, make time for me, invite me, do for me, or notice me. I then hold others to this unspoken expectation, judging their behavior, attitudes, motive, and care on whether or not they meet my pre-determined ideas about how I should be treated. Even worse, sometimes I do this with God.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my expectations in the reality of God’s goodness. God is not always going to bless me in the way or in the timing I desire. He is always going to do what is the very best thing for me at the perfect time. I can cement my hope in the myriad of ways that I daily experience His grace and His faithfulness. I can set my compass by the truth that He has revealed to me in His Word. God calls me to set my expectations and anticipation about His movement in my life within the reality of His love and the certainty of His purpose. When I do, I will never be disappointed.