Expectations Check – Are yours Realistic?

We often have unrealistic expectations of people and vice versa. If one attempts to meet everybody’s expectations, you will not only fail but also end up frustrated; the people will be ungrateful and you totally spent. The harder you try, the higher their expectations and they keep at it until you, in trying to avoid hurting them, inadvertently step out of God’s will for your life. It is very presumptuous to assume that you can meet everybody’ expectations; It is the first step to destroying yourself. You will have to disappoint some expectations at one point or the other. Even God does not meet our every expectation which is why we sometimes murmur and complain. 

Exodus 14: 11 “And they said to Moses, ‘why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?

The Israelites were fed up with their lives as slaves so they cried out to God hard; he heard and sent a deliverer to bring them out of Egypt and they rejoiced as they left. They had barely left before they started complaining because of unmet expectations. They expected Moses to close the deal with Pharaoh so well that Pharaoh would not come after them and he didn’t. Their expectations kept increasing as Moses tried to meet them; by the time he found out it was impossible to meet them, he already “hung himself on the cross” and died for the people who never changed. He was not the Savior who was to die for mankind. Moses learnt, albeit too late, that man’s desire is insatiable as a result of which his expectations, if not controlled by the Holy Spirit, become very unrealistic.  

John 11: 21 “Martha said to Jesus, Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Man can be so petty that He even gets disappointed in God if God does not give him that which he desires at the time he wants it and in the way He wants it. So why would mortal man think it possible for him to meet man’s every expectation. If you give of yourself, people expect you to keep giving notwithstanding the cost to you. They forget that even God does not keep giving. He gave His son who died on the cross and completed the work. He has given all He will ever give and Christ is now interceding for us that we may enjoy all that has been given for us. This may be disappointing but He will not give more than this. The truth is even if you hang on the cross for people, they will not be satisfied. But you are not even required to because Jesus already did it for all of humanity.

Luke 7: 20 “John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to Him, ‘John the Baptist sent us to ask, are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’

John needed someone to deliver him and his expectation was that Jesus Christ should want to help. Jesus heard and understood John’s message but could not meet his expectation at the time. He had his own business to attend to; His God given purpose. Now more than ever before, believers have become so self-centered; they push really hard wanting you to give more and they get frustrated because you can’t be all they want you to be at the time they want you to be it. Don’t feel bad please, if their need is genuine, God would send the right person and it’s their job to through the Holy Spirit connect with such persons; their failure to do so does not make it your responsibility to fix the need.