Letting Go of Expectations

Expectations set the standard for almost everything I do in life. It's the bar that I, my family, and my experiences are measured against. I'm not sure where the standards come from, but God is asking me again to weigh in on expectations.

Expectations require judgement, looking at what I or someone else has done and deciding if it's enough, not enough, or too much. I'm mentally tallying scores all day long. And, truthfully, the bar is most often set too high.

Unmet expectations leads to disappointment. (And, I wonder why I'm so often disappointed?!) And, a pattern of disappointment in life leads to a sense of despair. Will anything ever be as wonderful as I'd hope it would be?

Having expectations means that I'm often obsessed with the future, as I try and figure out what I'm contending with in the next day, or week, or month. Living in the future means I'm missing out on what is happening right in front of me at this very moment. As my children grow older I am realizing that I need to grab onto the "now" and savor the precious moments that are slipping by me as I continue to try and plan future events that never turn out the way I anticipate anyway.

So I'm letting go of expectations! (Although, I expect, pun intended, that this will take a while to become more aware of "going there".)