five minute friday: expectation

We place expectations on people every day.  We are a culture that demands excellence and we place our expectations too high.  Way too high.

Which ultimately leads to disappointment and hurt feelings and broken hearts.

I found myself in that place this week.  I had set the bar.  And it was way higher than I should have hoped for.  Apparently.

I spent most of that particular day wallowing in my disappointment.  Stewing over my hurt feelings and recounting all the ways that I do it differently.  Better.  Right.

And yesterday, I starting hearing this whisper in my soul.  I tried to ignore it, at first.  But it was persistent.

'It's not all about you, Jessica.'

Even on June 5th.

Hmmm, ouch.  Big ouch.

I started camping on God's expectations of me.  And how often I miss the mark.  How often do I not live up to His expectations?  How often do I disappoint Him?

Yet, how often does He extend grace and mercy to me for my failure?  My oversight?  My forgetfulness?

Today, I choose to consciously focus of the expectations God has of me.  And I choose to place less expectations on others.  And when I am faced with disappointment of unmet expectations, I choose to extend grace and mercy.  Because Heaven knows, I need grace and mercy too.

"I pant with expectation,
    longing for your commands."

Psalm 119:131 (NLT)