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Song: Twila Paris Daughter of Grace

Scripture
Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.  And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 2:24-29

Observation
Expectations are a disability. People have expectations of us and we try to achieve them. Even when we are not working we are fretting about ways to live up to expectations or escape from them. Even more disabling, we have expectations of ourselves. Those are the hardest to live up to. They are often hitched to old family mottos, echoing words from parents or teacher from years gone by, or a dream that has held us for ransom all of our lives. Of course, the most demanding expectations of all are those God has for our lives. Those none of us can achieve.

The Bible word for expectations is “the law”. Paul did not mean by “the law” simply the words Moses wrote; the phrase means any attempt to use the law to gain God’s approval. The law was not given to save us but to reveal that we need a savior. The law is a babysitter we endure until daddy comes home with grace.

Most of us spend our whole lives either trying to live up to expectations or by running away from them. Either way, we still feel this tug inside that what we are is not good enough and that we need to work harder to get there. We become tense, driven, compulsive, striving, stressed, impatient, dissatisfied, and discontented. The bottom line problem is that we are working for acceptance rather than from acceptance.  We imagine that some achievement out there somewhere will give us the resting place we are searching for. Until then we are restless searching for it.

Application
When I really follow Christ I am set free from expectations. I don’t need a babysitter any more; I have a Father who rejoices over me. What would happen in my life if I stopped measuring my days in terms of either “getting there” or “slipping away” and rested in the acceptance of God that I am “already there”. My ministry would be marked with security, grace, kindness, patience, endurance with joy and more. Everything changes when we work from acceptance rather than for acceptance. God has no expectations for me when it comes to receiving his love. Sure there is potential he calls me to develop, but the first order question is already solved: I am loved. Now I must work from the security of that. Maybe the reason I’ve been allowed to live up to expectations so long is to bring me to this point of releasing them into the acceptance of the Lord.

Prayer
Father, it is a lightheaded feeling to stand in you presence without expectations. There is constantly a sense that we should be doing something or doing more to please you, yet your smile and emanating love tell me that all of that is a waste of time. You simply want me to be with you, just as the disciples were with Jesus. I accept your acceptance. That is the core of faith. Today, I chose to work from that. Amen.