Yesterday a guy came to our school to give a motivational speech during an assembly. He was pretty funny, but one thing he said really bothered me: “Don’t have expectations. Just have an objective.”
He was making a point that when you have expectations, they’re often times not met, leaving you disappointed. But on the other hand, if you just have an objective, as long as you fulfill the objective, you have nothing to be disappointed about. I get what he’s saying, but I don’t agree, because when I heard that, I heard, “Just settle so you won’t have to feel bad.”
His example was to play a football game with an objective of working your hardest and listening to your coach and preparing in the best way possible, but if you expect to win (and you don’t), you’ll be disappointed.
Who cares if you’re disappointed? Being disappointed every now and again is great! It’s what motivates you to be better, work harder, and set higher goals. I’d rather live an awesome life with high expectations and disappointment than a mediocre life with complacency and false happiness. I never want to be fully satisfied; I don’t ever want to stop seeking greater things.
And God doesn’t want that either! He wants you to have high expectations in your relationships, your job, your sport, your school, and especially your relationship with Him. Never settle!
Wait expectantly. We need to expect God to do great things. Pray specifically and seek God’s will, and expect Him to do great things in your life. Sure, you’ll feel disappointed sometimes, but the times God fulfills His promises are going to be so much sweeter and filled with joy, you’re going to be thankful for the disappointments too.
