That thing you wish someone else would do. The attitude you wish someone would have. All the ways people could be . . . better. Simply cannot be expected.
Nothing frustrates me more than the apparent freedom that people possess to remain painfully and relentlessly self-absorbed.
That freedom is God-given.
My frustration is not.
Now, our freedom to establish boundaries with selfish folks is a useful tool blessed by God. And our ability to remain un-offendable is also a powerful gift made possible only through the wonder-working grace of Jesus.
But expectations do no one any good.
Standards? Absolutely. God loves them. I love them.
Requests and preferences? Sure! Why not? God does it all the time.
But expectations are useless burdens silently imposed upon another human and they are not of God. (I'm willing to hash this out if you see it differently so don't shy away from my resolute tone ... I just have given this a ton of thought and I'm a teensy bit provoked this fair evening ha.)
On the bright side: do you know what kind of delightfulness DOES flow from heavenly storehouses?? Unexpected helpfulness. Unmerited favor. Unanticipated generosity.
There will always be selfish among us. I'm here, so ... cased closed.
But as long as God is guiding His light-bearers in and throughout this dark world, there will be remarkable expressions of love, meaningful contributions of helpfulness, and undeniably selfless offerings of forgiveness. All around.
Heaven on earth.
