Striving for a Virtuous Life – Expectations

I’m starting to think that I should set the date for this series later in the month, since I keep being late about it….

If you would like, feel free to check out the other studies – Virtue , Hope , faithfulness, hospitality, authenticity and wholesome speech. There is no specific order for this study! A few ‘boring’ things before we get started – I will get all my meanings from dictionary.reference.com unless otherwise stated. For my verses, I will be using my Complete Jewish Bible, unless otherwise stated.

Expectations:

• the act or the state of expecting
• the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

By the title you might be wondering how expectations fit into a virtue of a Godly man or woman. Expectations touch every area of our lives – marriage, singleness, college, health, work, kids etc. Whether we want it, have it or lost it – our expectations can be met and broken daily. For me, in my early 20’s I was heart sore about being single still. As one after another of my friends got married, I cried on the staircase of my home and cried out to God. As I went through Culinary School, the pressure and atmosphere sucked my personality right out of me – I cried and prayed. As my migraines increased through Culinary, I cried and I slept and whispered my pain out to God. My plans for my life seemed to be getting smashed, my expectations were obviously not what God had intended. I made it through each one of these struggles – finding peace about being single, graduating Culinary and well, I’m still dealing with my migraines. My expectations had to change and grow with where God was leading me.

In this world, we are taught to have 2 – 5 -10 year plans. Where you’ll go to college, grad school and when you’ll graduate each. When you’ll buy a house and get married. When you’ll have kids (or not). Etc. Etc. While I like having plans laid out, the scary part of this is that they are not necessarily God’s plans for your life. They are yours. And mine. At 18, when I was asked where I saw myself in 10 years, I would never have said single, living with my parents, in chronic pain and nannying (even though the kid was one of the coolest). I would have said I’d be married, with a couple of kids, in a career I loved and a homeowner. 2 years past the question age, I’m happily married, in chronic pain and trying to get into a career I’ve always wanted to be in. Obviously not where I thought but is that a bad thing? No. Because I’ve waited and trusted in God. I’ve maybe been too scared to act on dreams over the years and lost out on that but I’m learning and trying to take that jump even through the fear.

I feel like I’m rambling a bit, and maybe it’s the pain pulsing in my temples and neck but instead of having expectations for my life – I want to have God’s perspective – His expectations for my life.

I don’t want to get wrapped up in ‘by the time i’m 30 i’ll have 2 kids’ because obviously that’s passed and I can’t do anything to change it. Or any of the other dreams that were on a timeline. Instead I want to focus on the fact that He has good plans for me. A future and a hope.

Jer. 29:11 “For I know what plans I have in mind for you,’ says ADONAI, ‘plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future.”

Psalms 62:5″My soul, wait in silence for God alone, because my hope comes from him.”

Phil 1:20″It all accords with my earnest expectation and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of; but rather, now, as always, the Messiah will be honored by my body, whether it is alive or dead.”

By keeping our hope in Him we are more easily able to keep our expectations where they should be – focused on our Saviour and Redeemer and what He has called us to do. Love Him. Wait on Him. Follow Him.

Phil 3:20-21 “But we are citizens of heaven, and it is from there that we expect a Deliverer, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.  He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like his glorious body, using the power which enables him to bring everything under his control.”

I hope you have enjoyed this study with me and as I said above, do check out the other studies in this series – Virtue , Hope , faithfulness, hospitality, authenticity and wholesome speech.

Tags: expectations, godly women virtues, hope, virtue series, virtuous life