Expectations....

Many of our struggles, which aren’t all that bad and maybe necessary, in our Christian life, come from inaccurate teachings of the Word of God. Our expectations are shaped and formed through messages we listen on Sunday, bibles studies, and even small groups. These can come from many different forms: People, books, bible, circumstances, and others. Expectation is a dangerous creature. At any moment this creature can hurt you and betray you. We put expectations on a lot of things, especially people, especially your friends. When your expectation doesn’t get met, your world is shattered and you respond the way you do: Resentment, bitterness, judgment, discouragement, doubt, sadness, and the worst-case scenario throw in the towel and give up.

Only if we knew that following after Christ meant we would go through storms, when they come we wouldn’t be angrily confused. Only if we knew that following after Jesus meant we would be persecuted, rejected, and maybe lose some friend, we wouldn’t be depressed when they decided to not be our friends anymore. Only if we knew that following after Jesus meant the great things would happen, when great things happen, we would give glory where glory is deserve. Only if we knew that following after Jesus meant unexpected things would happen, when things happened unexpectedly, we would be in awe of this amazingly, spontaneous God that we believe in.