Today at church, something was said during the lesson in Relief Society that made me think about how we should live our lives. I have to confess that I missed the beginning of the lesson from coming in late. But, nevertheless, it was a good lesson that made me think, and that should always count for something!
The teacher spoke of living somewhere in the middle of the Lord’s expectations. Not above, and not below. Well, often when we think of exceeding someone’s expectations, we think that is a good thing. But, if we think of the Lord’s expectations, what does he expect of us? We know that He does not expect us to be perfect. He expects us to do the best we can. To try our best, and He knows the desires of our hearts. Is it possible that if we aim above trying to do our best, that we are failing?
Think of someone that you know that seems like they have it all together. The perfect house, the perfect marriage, the perfect kids always dressed and groomed perfectly, never with a runny nose. They also seem to have time to bake cookies for their neighbors, get their Christmas cards out on time, exercise daily, always eat right, and they would never, ever drink Diet Coke. That just seems silly that someone out there can do all that, yet, often, in our minds, that is how we perceive other people, only to think that we, ourselves, are falling short in comparison.
If we try to do it all, we may be missing the essential. That “perfect” person may not be so perfect behind closed doors. Maybe they are too busy baking cookies to read their scriptures, or the perfect house and material things are so important that they often forget to pray. Outward appearances are deceiving and they are not truly what is important. If we try to do it all, we may forget to just do our best.
Obviously we know what it means to fall below the Lord’s expectations. But, have we ever thought that we are still falling below when we try to live above his expectations? I had never thought of it that way. I may yell at my child from time to time. Or, not be the perfect wife, but through prayer and repentance, we can start each day fresh. Asking Heavenly Father to bless us with the patience we may need, or the faith, or whatever it is we struggle with.
The concept of living right in the MIDDLE of his expectations is somehow comforting to me. I’m not sure why, but the thought of having to live above, or below is unacceptable, but living right in the middle of what He wants from me seems just right.
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