Our Expectations of Others
At this time, you may have begun to process how your expectations of God can influence your relationship with Him. Now this may not always be negative, but when we allow our unmet expectations of God to influence our willingness to surrender our lives to Him, we can run into a serious problem.
Like we do with God, we can also place unrealistic expectations on those around us—family, friends, significant others, co-workers, the church, and so on.
So what happens when those people don’t meet our expectations? Again, how do we react?
Now I’m not saying that everyone should receive a get out of jail free card. Sometimes there are hurts that run deep. Sometimes relationships can’t be fully mended and go back to the way they were. But, that doesn’t mean that we can harbor anger, resentment, and hatefulness. As Christians, we are called to a different standard.
Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Everyone.
Now take a minute to reflect on the scripture above.
Was there a person, or a group of people, that came to your mind?
Sometimes our relationships suffer because of unmet expectations. Sometimes it’s because we don’t meet expectations that others have placed on us. Regardless of the situation, we are called to do everything within our human capabilities to live at peace with every single person.
This week, I urge you to consider a person, or a group of people, who have hurt you. Also, consider those that you personally may have hurt in the past.
Have you taken steps to mend your relationship? If not, ask God for the first step. Maybe this will entail praying on the situation, asking the person to meet, and so on.
However, if you have done everything within your power to reconcile the relationship, perhaps God is calling you away from it. If this is the case, ask God to heal your heart from feelings of spite, anger, and resentment.
Unmet expectations from those around us can be disheartening. But by letting them go, we leave room for God’s love and grace to be shown through us.
We allow others to grow into the people God has created them to be, rather than who we expect them to be.
Over the next few weeks, you can find reflections here at vineyardrichmond.com. Use them to prompt yourself to focus on your faith in a fresh way. Each week we will consider a different theme as we build up to the resurrection event. On Mondays, we will draw your attention to a biblical focus on a character in the gospel accounts. On Wednesdays, we will reflect personally on how that theme affects our spiritual lives. On Fridays, we will focus outwardly as we consider how God is inviting us to engage the world around us for his kingdom. If what you are learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to share it with your friends. Let this be a time of personal reflection and careful examination of our own hearts and minds.