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Great Expectations

By Shannon Ready

Have you ever noticed that television mums are nearly always drop-dead gorgeous, look like they have spent three hours working on their hair and make-up, even though they have had a hectic day at work, kept their houses absolutely immaculate (kitchens and bathrooms always seem to be white and incredibly clean) and juggled family life with an amazing level of tranquillity and organisation. We live in a society that constantly sends us messages about what we should look like, what we should do and how we should live.

It is strange that in a generation that is so prosperous and has so much freedom, marriage breakdowns and youth suicide are on the increase, more and more people are having to take stress-leave from work, and many people just do not seem to be happy! Have we lost our compass point somewhere along the way? Are we living life at such a hectic pace, thinking that we have to live up to unrealistic expectations of juggling a high powered career, family life, a social life and everything else, that we are close to burn out? Do we constantly feel we have to live up to the expectations of others, or do the expectations come from within ourselves as we compare ourselves to others? I know how often I have put pressure on myself to be the perfect wife, mother, teacher and the list goes on. At the end of the day when I look at what I set out to achieve and compare it to what I have actually achieved I can easily become discouraged. Or when I start analysing how I have responded to those around me during times of illness or stress it is so easy to condemn myself as a failure.

The wonderful thing is that God does not see me the way I see myself. He loves me despite my faults and failures, and knows the finished me He planned from the beginning, completed and perfect (Psalm 139: 13-18). The purpose of all the things I face in life is to allow Him to show me who this actually is, and help me learn how to truly give myself to others unconditionally (1 John 4:7). It is on this path that He will set me free from all the ‘mind chatter’ of fear, condemnation and stress. When I walk His way there is grace and purpose in life. I can lean on Him and have my mind renewed whenever I feel overwhelmed or unsure of the way ahead (Eph 4:23). What a relief to know I do not have to measure up to some artificial expectation of what a successful woman of the 21st century is. Instead I can live a life filled with hope, purpose and the knowledge that God has a perfect plan for me and loves me for who I am, not just what I supposedly achieve in life.