1 Samuel 12.24, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.” My mind has been brought back to my life verse lately. One of the hardest things for me is expectations, and He has really been showing me through this verse how I should view them. -We expect things to happen in life. Such as scrolling through social media feeds and seeing someone in your friends list every week that has a new boyfriend, is engaged, getting married, or having a kid. That desire or jealously is essentially saying that you expect that to be happening in your life right now.
-We expect things from ourselves. I am the total perfectionist so when I don't do things right, I beat myself up for it. I expect myself to get things right even when I do not have the knowledge to do so. As a freshman, I expected to get all "A's", to get no hours, etc. But one class period in Gospels I quickly realized that was not going to happen. -Others expect things from us. Growing up, our parent's placed expectations on us to act a certain way, or to do certain things, whether they were said or not. Our teachers expect us to show up to class, do our homework, and stay awake in class. Our boss expects us to come to work on time and efficiently and effectively accomplish the tasks given to us. The Deans expect us to obey the rules, complete the duties assigned to us. And the list go on. There is not a person you will meet that has not placed some sort of expectation on who you are, what you are going to do, and how you should act. -We expect things from others. One of the things I struggle with the most in relationships would be regarding expectations, specifically with Jack. I place expectations on him without expressing them and yet still expect him to meet them. However that is supposed to work. ;) We continually feel the pressures of life from ourselves, friends, family, authority... to achieve certain goals, expressed or not. Our focus becomes aimed toward pleasing people and not pleasing Him. Certainly many expectations are good and right, but if we become so focused on what PEOPLE expect us to be, we will lose sight of what He wants us to be. The only expectations we should be concerned about are the ones that come from Him. Those of which that I find in 1 Samuel 12.24. -Fear Him. Give to Him His deserved reverence and respect -Serve Him. Work. We are here to serve, not be served, and not even to learn to serve... but to serve -In truth with all your heart. Serve Him faithfully with everything in you because you want to, not because you have to -For consider how great things He hath done for you. This is our motivation. And that is all that is expected of us. It is not a lot. Ecclesiastes 12.13, "Let us hear the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." That's TWO things! I just want to encourage you to stay focused on what expectations are actually important. Not the ones you place on yourself, or others place on you, but what He expects.
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Lizzy parkerMarriage.
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January 2023
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