Have you ever considered how many expectations you have in a typical day?
You may have never truly thought about this question, but pause and think about it for a moment: Do you have an expectation that revolves around your parents “helping” you out more? Maybe that your boss would say thank you for the extra project you took on, or that your friend would call you back?
We create expectations in our minds for how we “think” our children should behave, how we "think" our family should treat us, or how we "think" our job should be. We usually have a laundry list of expectations! And what happens when those expectations aren’t met? Personally, I get frustrated, angry, or just plain grumpy! But when we approach our days with expectations built up in our minds, we allow the actions of others to determine our attitude. We rise and fall on these expectations mommas, which is an unsteady approach to life.
If we have an expectation that our son will take out the trash, what happens in our hearts when he doesn’t? We’re annoyed, right? And even when he does do it, we’re not grateful, because "well... that’s just what he’s supposed to do."
But what if instead we approached this situation with a desire - more of a, “Hey sweetie, I’d love it if…” approach as opposed to a, “You're the one who’s supposed to…” attitude. In this scenario, when our son takes out the trash, we'd be appreciative. We might even remember to say thank you - which might encourage him to do it again!
Instead of having expectations that may never be met, why not work toward shifting to a desire mentality, so that when people do pull through, you are excited and grateful. Our expectations are like weights that sit on the shoulders of our loved ones. They feel like they have to meet your expectations in order for you to be happy - and that is not a good feeling for anyone.
If you think this might be a struggle you’re dealing with, I’d love for you to try this exercise this week:
Pray and ask God to reveal any expectations you have throughout your week.
Oftentimes, our expectations are invisible to us, mommas!
For 7 days, make a note in your phone or jot down in a journal anytime you realize you have an expectation of a situation or a person.
At the end of the week, pray and ask God to help turn those expectations into desires.
Mommas, you know who you CAN have expectations of?
Our faithful God! He promises us...
Everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
New mercies each day (Lamentations 3: 22-23)
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Grace upon grace (Ephesians 1:3)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly
realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Praise Him today, He will never disappoint you!
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Karen Stubbs is an author, speaker, podcaster, and mother to four adult children. In 2011, she founded the ministry Birds on a Wire to equip mothers so they can parent with confidence.
When Karen was a young mom, her husband was often away from home serving as a fighter pilot during Operation Desert Storm. During those years, Karen grew in her reliance on God. Today, Karen is passionate about challenging moms to invite God into their journey of motherhood.
Birds on a Wire reaches tens of thousands of moms each month through their podcast, Wire Talk, which answers practical questions about the everyday difficulties moms face.
WHO WE ARE
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit thelifeofasinglemom.com.
