What Do You Expect?

Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, “The LORD declares,” when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Ezekiel 13:6

This verse is pertaining to false prophets, but I recognize it is extremely profound just reading it by itself. How often do we see things the way we want to see it, creating a false vision? Have we ever looked into the future conjuring up a life that we want, then manipulate our present to make what we "foresee" be what you want it to be?  That's nothing less than creating and living a lie.  But, we don't only create false visions and live a lie, we try to make ourselves feel better by saying that it is "of the Lord." And since "it is of the Lord," then we expect all that our visions will be fulfilled and our lies will be made true.

Our unrealistic expectations, gives way to living in a manner that is not pleasing to God.  We put our expectations on others and believe that they should be what we want them to be.  But really, they aren't.  Some folks may want to please us and they will try to be what we want them to be, however it can be quite difficult to keep up the facade and at some point the facade comes down and both parties are hurt.  One is angry because he or she feels that the person has changed for the worse.  While the other, breaks under the pressure of being what he or she wasn't meant to be.

Manipulations, lies and unfair expectations lead only to trouble. The fact is we are all broken and we somehow want to feel more together through love and acceptance. Furthermore, we desire the other person to show us love and acceptance through our own lens, which is often shaped by our experiences.  This is unreasonable as each person has their own experiences that have given them a different perspective on life.  

So, what do you expect?  It's time to have a reality check. No one can fit all our expectations. We need to give them a break and we need to give ourselves a break. We miss out on the uniqueness and beauty of others when we try to make them fit into our mold.  Let's just let people be who they were meant to be and support them to be the best person they were created to be. Step back and see them for who they really are.    Sometimes we may not like this realistic look, but then that's when we need to take a good look at ourselves. We may not like the person we are either. The things we hate in others are often what is wrong with us.  Once we know the truth about ourselves then bring it to God.  He will enlighten us and show us the way.

Read more about unrealistic expectations at  http://www.rechargerelationships.com/Expectations_Chapter.pdf