Expectation

Expectations pervade our very existence. Since that fatal decision in the Garden of Eden, when everything was gambled on the expectations of being like God, we are consumed in and controlled by our expectations and their subsequent disappointments. In fact, a world without the economy of expectations is nearly inconceivable. Perhaps you too were raised in this economy, communicated by some variation of, “I’m not angry with you…I’m just disappointed!” Yet, expectations do not seem to be God’s economy. Indeed, living within and communicating from the prison of expectations is the antithesis of grace. God released us of His expectations by dieing on the cross while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). If we are to embrace the life offered in grace, we must break free from the entanglements of this fallen economy of expectations. And as in most battles, we begin with semantics. I cannot find a single Biblical reference to God saying He is disappointed in His children. Not one. Yet there are hundreds of references to God being angry. The opposite side of the coin is equally represented. Just as disappointment communicates falling short of our expectations, pride communicates attaining our expectations. Both are hopelessly engrossed in this fallen economy. I cannot find a single Biblical reference to God saying He is proud of His children. Not one. Yet there are hundreds of references to God being pleased. God releases us from His expectations, and embraces us each moment in the authenticity of anger and pleasure. As we continue to grow in the Lord, let's strive to adopt His heart and His language. Perhaps it is time to purge our vocabulary of “disappointed” and “proud” and let grace effuse daily in the simple honesty of “angry” and “pleased.”