“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Expectations.
Definition: A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.

We have expectations on everything we do in life. Whether it’s as big as our future career, how much money we will make, what our kids will be like, or as small as how this salad will taste, how this person will react when they see me…

Likewise, we have expectations when it comes to competition, we will win this many games and lose that many games, everyone on the team will work hard and get along, I will perform or be perfect on the field…

Conflict comes from this idea of unmet expectations.

When I expect to get at least one hit during the game and I strike out three times in a row, I am devastated. When I work out hard all summer only to find out some of my teammates have been slacking, I feel disappointed.

Happiness comes from exceeding expectations.

When everyone expected Kansas softball to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference but we upset top-ranked Texas Tech, I felt overjoyed. When our eight-hole hitter steped up to the plate against Oklahoma State in the bottom of the eighth inning and hit a walk off home run, I was ecstatic.

This is with sports, this is with life.

It’s amazing to me that no matter how long we have been walking with the Lord, it’s in our human nature to desire control. When we try to control the situation, we have our own, self-made expectations. Usually, God has something different in mind.

Do we truly believe that He is in control? Not only that He is in control, but that He is good, perfect, and holy? That He writes our stories so much more perfect than we could have written our own?

My prayer for today is that in this upcoming season of life, God rids me of any expectations. When we give up to Him our expectations, we really allow ourselves to see Him provide. With no expectations, the result is always exceeding expectations. He will work it out better than we could have ever imagined if we have faith (Hebrews 11) and put our trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The only expectation we should have is that He will show up and He will provide, because that is what He has promised.

Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For i know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”