Seeing God’s Blessings in Our Expectations and Limitations
Photo Credit: Ika84 / iStock.com
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.
Limits and expectations—what are our limits, and upon considering them, what is expected? And this is not simply in regard to ourselves as we self-examine but also our consideration of limitations and expectations ought to include others around us. Running the risk of having high expectations of others can make us blind to their limitations; or conversely, understanding another person’s limitations might lead us to expect too much or too little. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth,
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.” (1 Cor. 1:26)
Many of our expectations are influenced by worldly standards, not God’s standards.
Most of us are not wise, not powerful, not born with wealth and privilege. Like the widow who was severely limited in what she could give by worldly standards (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4), we also are limited. Therefore, what should our expectations of others and ourselves be in light of limitations? This is the heart of the matter.
In his teaching to his disciples about the widow, Jesus observed three things. First, the widow was poor, but she contributed everything she had—everything she had to live on. Secondly, he noted how others gave out of abundance—they didn’t have nearly the limits like the widow had. Thirdly, Jesus judged that what the widow gave was more than everyone else, though her two copper coins contribution was only equivalent to a penny. Yet, Jesus noticed her even though her minuscule contribution would likely have gone unnoticed as others with fewer limits gave abundantly. Expectations for the widow were quite low when it came to her ability to give abundantly—she didn’t have anything worth giving. Or did she?
Jesus told those around him the truth—the widow gave everything she had to live on. As she was severely limited in what she could do, people’s expectations of her would have probably been pretty low. Yet, in light of her limitations, she exceeded them in giving everything she had. What’s the takeaway?
We need to recognize love in action, even though that love doesn’t match our expectations.
We often try to match a person’s limitations to our expectations of them without considering the heart—the motives of the heart and the love expressed from the heart. When we look at others and see their limitations and lower our expectations, we are thinking like the world, not like Christ Jesus. He knew the widow’s poor and limited condition, and yet he saw her heart—her loving desire to contribute. In giving all she had to live on, the widow gave much—beyond expectations.
Unlike Jesus, though, we often fail to observe the contributions of others, especially when their limitations may cloud our vision. We gravitate toward those less limited (materially, financially, educationally, skill-wise, etc.) with expectations that try to match their circumstances. On the other hand, we may shy away from those who may be physically, emotionally, materially, and financially limited.
When we let go of our expectations, we have the opportunity to find joy in blessings from God given to us in unexpected ways.
We cannot weigh every action of others accurately like Jesus did in terms of limits and expectations, but we can recognize love in action. We can observe how much people are giving of themselves even when the world may only recognize abundance. When my sister-in-law was suffering from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis, everything had to be done for her. Even though she was severely limited by the disease and had little to give, she gave all she could—a smile, a kiss, a laugh.
And these were not small things—they were gifts from the heart, not measured like the world measures treasures but measured by love, a love that goes both ways. One of my favorite photos from the last months of my sister-in-law’s life was of my wife and her sister embracing each other with wide happy smiles. This gift wasn’t what I expected, but God has a way of exceeding our expectations, especially when all we might see are limitations. Love never ends, though (1 Cor. 13:8).
When all else seems lost due to limitations and our expectations are anything but hopeful, remember that with God there are no limits—for with God all things are possible by his love, the love that never fails (Matt. 19:26).
This article was originally published in Beautiful Christian Life’s January 2024 newsletter, “Expectations and Limitations.”
Related Articles:
- Grounding Our Expectations and Limitations in God’s Word
- Is the Christian Life More Like Colorado or Nebraska?
- The Secret of Knowing God’s Will
- Why Is Prayer So Vitally Important for Christians?
- 6 Things You Need to Know about Unanswered Prayer
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Daniel Rowlands returned to an academic setting to complete Master of Arts degrees in Biblical Studies and Theological Studies from Westminster Seminary California after serving more than two decades in the United States Army as a helicopter and airplane pilot, and completing a career in various investment advisory roles and financial planning. He has lived and traveled around the world and currently resides in Idaho where he serves in his church as a teacher. For leisure, besides studying the Scriptures, he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and road biking. Daniel is content editor for Beautiful Christian Life.
