Easing Expectations

Spotlessly clean house? Check!

Well-behaved kids?  Check!

Perfectly groomed self? Check!

List of on-going side projects? Check!

 

Often my list of requirements for myself look like something from the "Superwoman Store." I can easily expect more of myself that I would anybody else. In fact, I would tell a friend that she was crazy for having such high expectations for herself! Thankfully I have eased up on myself and (usually!) don't expect such impressive things from one sinful person. But what about my expectations for my day? That's a different story, right?

Realistically, I expect to get up at night with Kevin (and sometimes Micah too!). I expect to be tired. I expect to have to correct Micah. I expect Kevin to cry. I expect to wash that same load of laundry, put away those same dishes, wash the same little hands that I did yesterday.

But I also expect to snuggle a delightful baby. I expect to get some fabulous two-year-old hugs. I expect to kiss my husband when he comes home for lunch. Except on the most abnormal of days I expect to look at a reasonably clean house at night (because I schedule my cleaning) and I expect to get a short nap (because I schedule my children).

Most days, almost all of these things happen. And I think that's great. But what if I expected everything to go perfectly? What if I expected to lounge on the couch and have well-taken-care-of children? What if I expected to go out to dinner all the time? What if I expected to sleep eight hours straight? I would spend my life constantly disappointed and unhappy. What a devastating effect this would have on my home and family!

Changing my expectations can make a world of difference in my attitude about my days even though the days themselves do not change. I have been spending more time praying for wisdom and creativity in planning our days so that I have better expectations and a better attitude. And so we can accomplish more training/teaching/playing in the short time we have! Children grow up so fast. I only have them for a short time and I want to be focused on things the Bible makes a big deal of because that's all that really  matters.