The feeling of being
barefoot and feeling sand squish between my toes evokes giddiness and freedom. When I flirt with the ocean I am a child experiencing the joy of the occasional splash of gorgeous, turquoise sea water and the sun warming
my cheeks. I am free to frolic, run, laugh and giggle. Being barefoot in the sand
unleashes a brazen abandon that I find in no other place.
When I wear shoes I do not enjoy the same freedom. It is blatantly unrealistic of me to
think that I can frolic in the sand and not expect to get sand in my shoes. Those
irritating grains of sand eventually find a little open crevice and rub at me
until I either take off my shoes or leave the beach. Annoying, hurtful and
disappointing!
An unrealistic expectation is like an
irritating grain of sand-a silent thief that robs us of freedom and joy.
When people do not meet our expectations we get mad, feel hurt, rejected,
disappointed and blame them for letting us down. Here is a paradigm shift to reality.
Everything
in this life is a created thing and has the potential to disappoint us. It’s a harsh statement, but once we get it, it will
unleash the same kind of freedom as running barefoot on the
1. It is not other people’s job to make us
happy.
2. Everyone sees the world through a different
set of lenses.
3. People orchestrate their lives to make them
feel loved and comfortable in the way that has been modeled for them.
4. We can never assume anything-always check
the facts.
5. God has made us all unique, and we cannot
expect people to climb into our life’s journey and be like us.
6. God is shaping each person’s character in a
distinctive manner. It is not our job to shape other people’s characters.
7. It
is unrealistic to think that granite countertops, a flashy career, a perfect
spouse, a face lift, fitting into skinny jeans, or a diamond ring will bring us lasting, and fulfilling joy.
8. Everything in this life ends up in a
box…one way or the other.
9. We need to treasure what God has placed in
our hands and receive it as a gift to be held loosely while we are on this
earth.
10. When we buy into unrealistic expectations we
are setting ourselves up to be robbed of our freedom.
God is so kind
and gracious to us. He tells us in John 8:31, 32 “You are truly my disciples if
you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free.”
What truth? It’s all right there in the
bible-every word and story is a realistic expectation and promise to
set us free from the hooks of this world. People and things were not put on
this earth to give us freedom, only Christ can do that. Once we recognize and
believe it, we will be empowered to make choices that will be as freeing as
running near the ocean barefoot. No chance of gritty, annoying sand in our
shoes.
Heidi
McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna,
British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful,
eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not
working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her
husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca
4 comments:
A lovely, lively post - thanks Heidi. And there's a lot of wisdom in your ten pointers. In recent times my feet have seldom enjoyed the barefoot tactile freedom of walking on sand, although I've experienced it many times (I wrote somewhat along this line a few years back). Hmm, the nostalgia's stirring, even now! :) ~~+~~
I love walking barefoot in the beach. It's an instant foot scrub.
These are wise and wonderful realizations/lessons. :)
Thank you, Heidi. What an excellent checklist you give us on unrealistic expectations!
Well said, Heidi. I had to read your post twice so that I could breathe in that wonderful message. I love your list and thought #8 - Everything in this life ends up in a box. . .one way or the other made me laugh out loud (twice). How very true. What a waste of time worrying about foolish things. Thanks for imparting such wisdom here! Love it.
Post a Comment