“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” -Job 1:21

We place unreasonable expectations on our friends and loved ones. We expect them to drop everything they’re doing, answer the phone, and come hang out with us, or go out to dinner, or go see a ballgame. And all of these things that we do diminish happiness and gratitude in our lives, and that’s not what the kingdom of God is about. It’s not about entitlement, it’s not about assumption, it’s not about having all outcomes the way we want them all the time.

What about reasonable expectations? Can we give up believing that “I will wake up healthy tomorrow”? Or, “My spouse will always be with me”? Or, “I’ll always have this house”? What if we were to give up those expectations?

Instead, we could wake up and say, “God, another day? Another gift from you that, today, I can live?” Imagine what our lives would look like. We would be people thankful for every day we’re given, experiencing each one as a gift from God.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for today’s reminder to diminish my expectations. I know that if I do this, I will grow closer to you and experience the blessings I now overlook. Amen.

REFLECTION: What positive growth can you imagine you will experience in your life as you lower you expectations and raise your gratefulness to God?