Great Expectations

Well, it is one month into 2018 and this is my first blog of the new year! During the month of December I was toying around with the idea of trying to make blogging a more regular thing. I started to think of topics and ideas I could talk about on here and nothing seemed to really jump out at me or inspire me. And then I realized that when I started this blog it wasn’t with the intention of growing it into some thing that consumed my life. I started Thislightofmind with the intent of sharing the things that God lays on my heart, when He chooses to. I try to write about things that matter to me and are important to me. Whether it’s something I am struggling with or learning at the moment, or simply a letter trying to help someone understand a situation. So with that realization I left my blog how it was and decided to continue writing when I felt called to.

WOW that was a long intro BUT today I want to talk about expectations. No matter what you may think, in just about every situation we have expectations for that particular moment. (At least girls do, shoutout to spending hours imagining a situation that is NEVER going to happen) Often there is an event coming up or some such and you start to think about it, endlessly. To the point that you have the entire thing planned to a T. And thus the expectation for it to go seamlessly is born and anxiety with it. We spend so much time leading up to the moment that when it comes, our anxiety is as high as our expectations and together the two thwart whatever pureness the moment may have had.

Sometimes we create our own heartbreak through expectations.

So why do we do this? The mind is SO powerful and it is so hard to keep it in check, because you (and God) are the only person who really knows what’s going on in your own head. I know for me personally, I have definitely caused a lot of my own heartache by putting too high of expectations on a person. I am slowly learning that no expectations equal a happier me. Without expectations wearing me down, I am more able to live in the moment and to enjoy each moment.

This is something I wanted to talk about because this year, I already have a lot of expectations. I submitted my application to school and I am expecting to get into my program of choice, I am expecting to get a new job in my desired field, I am expecting to start a relationship this year. (moment of honesty, just because I really want a boyfriend doesn’t mean that it’s in GOD’S plan for me lol gotta keep telling myself that) When I examine my head and my heart honestly, these are a few of my personal expectations for 2018. There are always things we want in life but the will of God is so much greater than anything we could ever plan or do on our own. *Insert Jeremiah 29:11 because it is SO dang applicable in every area of life*

Sooooo, in conclusion to this sort of long post, expectations can kill our joy. That’s the whole point of the book Great Expectations right? I am learning that trusting God with a situation and just leaving it with Him is always a better idea than coming up with impossible scenarios in my head. God knows my heart, my desires, He knows everything about me, so why not trust His plan?

Trust outweighs the expectations.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11