The past two months, my mind has
been in a sort of fog. The past few months I have been feeling guilty for
everything. Sorry that I did not act the way I wanted in certain situations.
Sorry that I said such and such. Sorry that I did not get the bathroom cleaned
or the laundry finished. Sorry that I failed to do X,Y and Z. Feeling guilty
for not measuring up and guilty for every action I make in parenting and
friendships and my marriage. That I can do better. And constantly being in
battle with doing what I do and then frustrated because I do not want to be
frustrated. It is not a fun place to be and some days a prayer for God to push
the perfect button on me bounces around my head.
Going in to marriage, I was
advised to be careful about preconceived expectations I unknowingly had on my
husband and God taught me early on in parenting about the issues with expectations
on my child. During this struggle, he revealed the issues with self
imposed expectations. This is something I have never thought about or even
occurred to me to be an issue.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7: 15-20
I can SO relate to Paul here. It
can sound like a circle when you read it, which is how it feels sometimes. I desire to do good and be a great mother and
wife and daughter and friend and do God's will and some days it seems like all I do
is fall short but that is not what God is calling me to do or to be. Perhaps
you can relate. Hear this truth: God is
calling us to love him with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind
(Matthew 22:37).
He does not have expectations. Sin is in the world and we are not perfect There is a constant battle of us verse sin but Christ already won. Satan does not want you to see yourself in that light and when you fall in to the temptation of feeling like a constant failure. you are falling in to sin and not living in the victory that Christ has given us.
You must focus on him and not your own strength or to do list. Personal expectations make you miss blessings right in front of you because you are too busy focusing on what you want rather than what God has graciously given you. It may also lead to other sin, as a result.
He does not have expectations. Sin is in the world and we are not perfect There is a constant battle of us verse sin but Christ already won. Satan does not want you to see yourself in that light and when you fall in to the temptation of feeling like a constant failure. you are falling in to sin and not living in the victory that Christ has given us.
You must focus on him and not your own strength or to do list. Personal expectations make you miss blessings right in front of you because you are too busy focusing on what you want rather than what God has graciously given you. It may also lead to other sin, as a result.
I pray that God would open your
eyes to any unknown expectations of yourself that you have been carrying around.
I pray that you would feel the freedom that comes from letting go of your own
agenda and to do lists and that you would enjoy his peace that transcends all
understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
Rest assured, you are doing the
best you can do with the resources you have, with the skill sets that God has
given you for this season. Do not fret over the past. Be forgiven. Ask
forgiveness where forgiveness is needed and accept it and move on. Christ died
for your sins and because he overcame death, hope can be found. Stand firm
in the faith and in him and be a witness to how he works out the good for those he loves (Romans
8:28). He loves you despite your expectations, failed or not.
I love Owl City's rendition of In Christ Alone. Reminiscent of high
school days where the anthems of the Postal Service were constantly blaring but
that is another story. Have a listen.
In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand.
Here's to less expectations and more lavishing the love of God.
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