As many of you know, I am a father of 3 great kids. Occassionally our 2 year old will choose to challenge the dictatorship I have established. A week ago, our family (me, the wife and 3 kids) all went swimming. We didn't set a time limit and ended up staying there for 1 and 1/2 hours. We got out of the pool around 12:30pm which meant we still had to do lunch.
Jen decided we should walk to the pool. So we walked home from the pool with the older kids whining from hunger and our 2 yr old screaming and kicking. I was very ticked off. I told the 2 yr old that she was in trouble and she was going to sit in the corner when we got home..... and go to bed early.... and not have her teddy bear.
Do you think I was realistic to expect my 2 yr old to be patient?????? We spent too much time at the pool. And, we got home after their normal lunch time. I reacted to a situation by focusing on how I wanted things to be. I wasn't realistic. I would like to drop 30 lbs in 6 weeks, have a wildly successful business, a perfect marriage, God-fearing-talented-caring children, friends who agree with me all the time, the ability to build a deck in a weekend.... Being realistic is not being negative. We can all learn, grow and set goals, and work towards them. God gives each one a gift. Maybe we would like someone else's gift. That may be our expectation- that God will give us a different gift. Maybe a gift that someone in the church with popularity has. I will never probably be able to preach like James Nored, but I can grow in my communication skills. I can learn to teach and lead small groups. Each part of the body is valuable.
Does some of the stress in our lives come from unrealistic expectations of how our life "should" be? Or our marriages,etc...
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3 comments:
Matt,
I can't preach like James Nored either. That guy is really good! :) Mentioning someone by name in a blog is a cheap way to get a response, since we are all egomaniacs at heart.
Yes, so many couples have unrealistic expectations about marriages and childrearing. One of best definitions of love that I have seen/heard comes from Fiddler on the Roof . . .
James- thanks for your comment. I believe one of the biggest reasons that so many people are on drugs (legal and illegal) is the pressure we put on ourselves and sometimes the unrealistic expectations we have for our lives.
As Ruth Graham (wife of Billy Graham) said once, "God doesn't promise us a smooth ride, but he does promise us a safe landing."
sounds like yo woman gots fo kids.
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