oh those expectations

ahhh fall, i love it. i don't know if it's because this summer was so disgustingly humid or what, but i am in love with everything about this new season! i sat outside by the pond after class today and spent some time with the Lord and it was just so good. since i read soo much for my classes, i'm not gonna lie - i don't feel like reading my Bible much. i am well aware that life isn't about doing what we "feel like" when we "feel like" it, but i'm just being honest. there's only so much reading a day can hold for me. and then when i do read my Bible, i remember how good it is (haha silly) and i get swept away reading that and before i know it i have to go to class and i never read the prologue to the canterbury tales. and when my teacher calls on me for examples of kennings from beowulf i'm distracted by how good the Lord is and have to execute my acting skills which, let me tell you, come in handy when answering questions in that class. (thank you living room talent shows and middle school theater productions, you trained me well.)

but this morning by the pond ... thinking about how much i love ducks, how the fish looked like they were sleeping and how the light through the trees couldn't be anymore perfect than it was ... one of the somethings i felt the Lord told me was that i have low expectations for Him and high expectations for people. ouch. high expectations for people was no surprise, but when i considered the parallel of my low expectations for Him ... ick! praise the Lord for renewing our minds - this has to change!

it made me look back in my journal at my notes from dan mohler, who spoke at my church (you can listen to his message and others at threshold's website) a few weekends ago. i was mostly convicted about SELFISHNESS, but he touched on expectations as well. his message was soo phenomenol that i'm passing along a tiny bit of the goodness the Lord spoke through him ...

• by putting an expectation on another person i do them a great injustice and have all of a sudden placed the gospel in a person and not in Jesus
• if people owe you then you're already disappointed. don't let their failures dictate you. don't let where they're not determine where you are.
• Christ is the barometer - not people! if someone is doing you wrong, they just don't see who they are and who Christ is. we forget how lost people are because we're too busy being selfish.