Expectations

"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us."                      2 Corinthians 8:5

  Good morning to ya!  I have been pondering on my expectations.  Are my expectations set too high?  Are they too high in general or am I picky about what I set high expectations to?  I can say that I have high expectations of myself and my kids.  I tell myself daily to always do what's right in the eyes of God.  I expect my kids to be on their best behavior at school and out in public, and they should always do their best.  Is that expecting too much?  I don't think so, but when do I push the limit?  What causes me to set high expectations and then become disappointed when they are not met?
  I am undeniably the person who is told don't be so hard on  yourself.  But why shouldn't I be hard on myself?  Is there anyone else that is going to set such a standard for me?  Most likely not, well not a person here on earth.  God has standards that I do my best to follow and that is where I set my high expectations.  I do my best but I fail and it's not just once a week or month...it's more of how many times daily do I fail?  I have good days and bad days, but the hard part is asking God to forgive me and move on.  I can ask forgiveness but letting it go and moving on is hard for me.  I like to sit there and beat myself up instead of accepting that God accepts me for who I am and knows my flaws.  Moses comes to mind when I think of my flaws.  "But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Exodus 4:13 If Moses would have told God I can't do what you want me to do and never listened to the Lord after that, would we be sitting here today?  I'm not sure, and I'm not going to try to answer that question, but what I am going to say is sometimes we hold ourselves up to high expectations and we fail.  Other times we don't believe we can do anything.  What we must remember is God will give you all you need to do His work.   Even when we feel like He has picked the wrong person for the job, just trust in Him. The Bible verse from 2 Corinthians at the beginning of this post says they exceeded our expectations by giving themselves first to the Lord and then they were given to the people only by God's will.  So, instead of going about your day saying I can do this or I can't do that.  Give yourself to God and His will and the rest will fall into place.  Don't set your expectations on what you feel can be accomplished but instead set your expectations on what God's will is for you.  Today I am not going to be hard on myself, I will let it go and give it to God.  I will strive to be in His will. I will expect Him to equip me for the job He has planned for me instead of saying send someone else. Will you do the same?  Until next time may God Bless you and Keep you.