Wednesday Wisdom Tip: What Do You Expect?

 

 

If there is one question that could define my biggest struggle in life it would be:

What did you expect?

I’d have to answer that question with a question: how much time do you have?

Expectations wiggle their way into nearly every facet of my life. Marriage. Motherhood. Ministry. You name it.

So, as a woman who nearly daily has to die to expectations – realistic and non – I want so very much to help my girls learn to handle expectations now. And in the world they are growing up in, this is anything but easy.

Take for instance, the promposal. Yep, for those of you who haven’t hit the high school stage, promposals are a very real thing. In fact, my friend Amy shared with me last week she heard of a girl who refused a boy’s prom ask because it wasn’t creative enough! This really worries me! If there is this much pressure on the creativity in a simple dance invitation, what is a guy suppose to do for a marriage proposal?

My friend Lysa TerKeurst says: The space between expectation and reality is disappointment. I know you, Mom. Like me, you don’t want your girl to experience disappointment.

So, let’s start by first not feeding the frenzy. While Pinterest is so much fun to look at, maybe we should put some breaks on it. The more ideas we have, the easier it is to compare. Once we start comparing what we have to another’s “haves”, it all goes downhill from there.

Then, let’s teach her realistic expectations in for her life. Help your girl appreciate the courage it takes to be the guy, to simply ask the question, let alone come up with the perfect way to do so! Maybe then she’ll have some grace for other areas in life as well!

We’re past prom here…at least for this year! Thought I would share with you a picture of Alexandra, my daughter’s dear friend  (many of you have seen her video when I speak “Unshakable Confidence” at my His Revolutionary Love conferences) and my youngest, Madi.

Lynn