What might change in your life if you were to expect the best? When the unanticipated happens, instead of worrying, you believed God was doing something amazing with it? Instead of worrying about other’s responses, you believed that things would come together well?
I remember reading Norman Vincent Peale asking if you really believe what you claim to believe? That God is in control, that He works all things for our good, that He has a plan for our future, that He is merciful and generous, etc. More than likely we would agree to each of these things – absolutely. But then I’d have to go back and ask Peale’s question again, do you really believe what you believe?
Getting still and deeply considering our belief system can be radically inspiring. If we truly believed what we claim to believe, that should really change how we talk to others and how we pray to God. We should live with far more hope and confidence. To put it succinctly – we should expect the best!
Get Your Hopes Up
For obvious reasons, the word hope holds a special place in my heart. I rather feel the need to share that hope with others, encouraging their hearts, fueling their dreams. If we could chat face to face, I would feel honored if you shared your hopes and dreams with me. I’d encourage you that I believe that God gives us a glimpse of what He has for us. So instead of squelching those hints of what’s ahead, I’d encourage you to lean into it, holding loosely to the details and the timeline, but expecting God to bring it together in ways even better than the best thing you can imagine!
I heard an interesting take on this the other day. Expecting the best, expecting blessing and profit for your work, expecting a future and a family, expecting abundance and extra to share, that’s having a child of God mindset. But when you water that down, expect only enough, mistake complacency for contentment, that’s having a slave mentality.
As children of God, we represent Him. I think that’s vital to consider in all areas of our lives. Our attitudes, thoughts, prayers, home life, work, etc. Everything must honor Him and our focus must constantly be on how to serve Him and others better. If those things are in alignment, I truly believe those hopes in your heart are there for a reason. Expect the best and get your hopes up!
Bold Expectation
Bold expectation – can you wrap your mind around something so, well, shall we say bold?! Let me remind you of a verse found in James: you have not, because you ask not. And when you ask, you ask with the wrong motives. This is why it is so vital to understand God and get in agreement with Him! Ask Him to guide your hopes and dreams and then believe He does and act like they are from Him!
Consider that for a moment: if your prayer and your life’s work is to get in alignment with what God has for you, are you living life with the bold expectation that He is more than capable of directing your steps? I love the realization that He is capable of working with each of us exactly where we are. Not that we shouldn’t work to grow and become better versions of ourselves, but just knowing that He has all those details is such a blessed relief! He’s got me (and you!) in the palm of His hand.
Bold expectations have me praying bold prayers. Some people call them dangerous prayers, but I can’t think of any better danger to avoid than settling in mediocrity. Ask God to break up the foundations that hold you back and keep you small. Ask Him to breathe new life into what He has for you. Praise Him for the courage to step into where He is leading. Get in alignment with what He has for you and boldly expect Him to over deliver in ways even better than you can comprehend!
Expect The Best
To me, the most incredible thing about getting in the mindset to expect the best is that God will always over deliver. Now it will likely be in different ways than you can imagine, but He’s God, so the details are perfect!
And that’s part of why we should expect and praise God for the most incredible vision we can imagine, because He knows just what we need and He knows just how to deliver. When we pray tiny prayers, we get small results. But when we pray bold prayers, we get to see incredible results! Opportunities open up to us that otherwise we wouldn’t have the courage to pursue.
Expecting the best takes courage and boldness. It forces us out of passiveness and requires that we get excited about what lies ahead. We need to shake the slave mentality and step into our royal, child-of-the-King mindset.
Expect the best – this whole mindset shift is incredible. It is inspiring, motivating, a constant work in progress, etc, but also it leads to such an amazing place. Because not only does it bless us and honor God, it helps us treat others so much better. And isn’t that the whole point – to love the Lord our God and our neighbor as ourself?!
Until Next Time!
Hope.