Archived Notes
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Realistic Expectations
©Chad Sychtysz
People do not always evaluate their abilities correctly. Some have expectations
for themselves that are impossible to fulfill; others have such low expectations,
they effortlessly achieve them. Christians do this same thing with their spiritual
lives. Some commit too much, others commit too little; one is overestimating his
ability, the other is under-performing according to his ability. Neither scenario
is healthy or productive. The first leads to disappointment; the second leads to
little or no spiritual growth, if not sheer disillusionment. Christians need to
evaluate their spiritual lives with realistic expectations.
Does God really reap where He does not sow? In the parable of the “talents”
(Mt 25:24-27), the one-talent slave said as much—even though he did not live up to
what he professed (which is why he was called “wicked and lazy”). Yet God never
expects more from a person than what he or she can produce. In the spiritual context,
we can do nothing apart from Christ (Mt 19:25-26, John 15:5). But sometimes a person
will bite off more than he can chew: a “one talent” man may commit to “five talent”-level
of work. The fact is: we do not all have the same talents or abilities (Rom 12:3-8);
what God expects from each of us is always in proportion to our ability. In some
cases, our personal expectations may be impossible no matter how many “talents” we
are given. For example, we will never be sinless from this point forward; we cannot
achieve overnight spiritual maturity; we cannot have great success without experiencing
disappointments; etc. When a person expects such utopian results, he sets himself
up for failure; and when failure comes, he may turn around and blame God for this.
God is not the problem; unrealistic expectations are. Zeal and enthusiasm cannot
compensate for human inability; Phil 4:13 (“I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me”) does not imply that “we can do anything,” but that whatever God expects of us
is achievable only through Christ. For example, God expects: Christ to be our peace
(John 14:27); our pursuit of peace and sanctification (Heb 12:14); no justification
by “law” (Gal 3:11); believers will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12); and a number of other
realistic expectations. Since He expects these things, we must expect them as well
in order to live in agreement with Him.
Expectations that are unrealistic may also be expectations for which
we are not yet prepared to fulfill. Some expectations will be possible for us only
after a season of growth (in education), maturity, time, or sequence of events. Prior
to such seasons, these same expectations are premature. For example, a person may
want to participate in a certain kind of ministry for God, but it is simply not yet
time for this to happen. That person cannot beat himself up for failing to do what
he is not yet ready to master; the reality may be that God has good reasons for making
him wait. God’s work within us (Phil 1:6, 2:12-13) is often slow and gradual, usually
because we are unable to cope with anything more than this. Some, however, may think
that this translates to a license to put off spiritual responsibilities until “later.”
Christ never advocates procrastination, laziness, negligence, or indifference. In
some cases, Christians who ought to be mature are lagging behind; this is met with
strong rebuke in Scripture (Heb 5:11-14). One who purposely avoids being knowledgeable,
mature, or prepared to do the Lord’s work makes a mockery of that work; this is offensive
to the Lord. Still others may be content to under-perform. Such people set ridiculously
easy-to-achieve goals; when they effortlessly complete them, they get bored and begin
looking elsewhere for “fulfillment”—sometimes, even in another gospel or religion.
The problem here is not that discipleship is boring; rather, it is that these people
are not doing what God expects them to do! As a result, they are soft and undisciplined;
they have experienced little or no spiritual growth.
We are supposed to “keep seeking” the things above (Col 3:1-3). This
implies that: none of us have yet arrived; we do not yet know all that we need to
know; and we are not finished growing in Christ. At the same time, we must be realistic
in how we evaluate our abilities. We may not be able to do what someone else can
do, but we most certainly ought to pursue that which God expects us to do, proportionate
to our “talents.” Some need elementary teaching; many others need to get beyond
this (Heb 6:1). God never asks too much of anyone; yet He never approves of a person
purposely doing too little.
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