What Expectations Do I Cling To?
Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought [Elisha] would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!”
2 Kings 5:11, NLT
When my husband and I were engaged, we got some good advice: Talk about expectations. Who will take out the garbage? Will you turn all the lights off at night? Are you a garbage-under-the-sink kind of home?
At first it seemed silly. Now I know it’s these small things that can spiral out of control. We bring expectations we didn’t even know we had, and when someone doesn’t measure up, we assign blame.
It’s taken me time to put this into practice, but I try to be alert to it now. I also try to be aware of my own expectations and communicate if something is important to me. Our unsaid assumptions can set us up for disappointments.
ACT
In a group of friends, ask simple questions like the ones above. What was it like at their house when they were young? What do they do differently now? Notice the incredible variety of answers. Let it show you how many big and small things we assume in life.
pray
God, show me the expectations that I unfairly place on others. Help me voice what’s important and let go of the rest.