Reasonable Expectations

Published on 12 June 2025 at 00:00

REASONABLE EXPECTATION

“The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

Proverbs 10:28 (NKJV)

Because we’re human, we all walk through life with expectations, in our relationships, our careers, and with our parenting skills. If you have a ministry, some expectations are spoken and some stay silent. At times, there are some that stay buried deep in our hearts. When reality doesn’t meet those expectations, disappointment and discouragement set in like a fog, clouding our joy and peace.

We expect our marriage to feel a little more like a partnership, and our children to listen a little more. We expect our friends to show up when we need them, even without asking. We expect our dreams to bloom faster, and our work to feel more fulfilling. When that doesn't happen, our hearts ache and we wonder why.

Scripture doesn’t shy away from the tension between hope and disappointment.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

So how do we live in the space between expectation and fulfillment? We turn our expectations toward God.

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Psalm 62:5 (NKJV)

Unlike people, God doesn't disappoint. His timing may stretch our faith, but His character never fails. When we place our expectations on others, without the grace or the communication skills, we set ourselves up for heartbreak. On the other side of the coin, when we place our deepest hopes in God, we find steady ground and fulfillment.

Have you shared your expectations with those closest to you? Are they fair and kind? Are they reasonable or impossible to achieve?

Let us not build walls in our relationships by unreasonable expectations.

“Many are the plans in a man”s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that will stand.”

Proverbs 19:20

This proverb highlights the importance of recognizing God’s sovereignty and acknowledging that His plans are ultimately what will prevail, even in the middle of our own human planning.

If you're holding any resentment from unmet expectations, whether it be from yourself or from others, lay it down and give it to God. If you need to make peace with someone, then do it.

Forgive others, forgive yourself, and bring it all before the LORD. He lavishes us with mercy and grace in our disappointments and is faithful to His promises for us.

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

Our expectations become reasonable when they are surrendered and anchored, not in what people can do, but in what Christ has already done.

Prayer:

LORD, I’ve carried expectations that have left me disappointed and discouraged. Help me to release them into Your hands. Teach me to hope in You above all else, and to give grace to others as I walk in relationship with them. Align my heart with Your will, and fulfill every longing that leads me closer to You.