The town was small, the buildings were rugged, older homes outlined the road beside me as I approached the only traffic light in sight. One’s first impression might have been to dismiss the town and continue on in the journey to the city, but the reputation of the small town peaked my interest as I passed the sign that announced this small town as the hometown of a previous Miss America.
I initially wondered how something so significant could emerge from a town that seemed to offer very little opportunity. With plenty of experience living in small towns, my skepticism came with a history of validation. Not only do small towns generally carry a reputation for little opportunity, but I have personally witnessed the lower expectations placed on the future of the families who live there.
I remember being told by coaches, teachers, neighbors, and classmates that I would not be “noticed” as an athlete unless I moved to a bigger city or played on a traveling league – most of which were only offered in bigger cities. This idea was unintentionally confirmed as my parents would sacrifice time and money to allow me to have better opportunities outside of our small town. The community would continue to feed into this idea that unless you place yourself in a better environment, a new location, and sacrifice to pursue opportunities small towns didn’t offer, you would not be able to achieve your big dreams and aspirations.
Sadly, I feel as if Miss America, and others like her, are an exception to the expectation rather than the rule, and it stirred something within my heart to reflect on the powerful insight the Holy Spirit revealed to me.
God meets us in our expectations.
I wonder if we also set low expectations for ourselves or our futures because of the unspoken reputation of our environment within which we grew up. Or even worse, what if we set low expectations for God based on what we believe to be an acceptable reputation for ourselves.
The truth is, our childhood experiences, the environment we grew up in, and the opportunities or lack thereof, all play a part in conforming our mind to determine an acceptable outcome for our lives. As a result, we set lower expectations for our dreams, goals, and aspirations, and we limit our God to operate in our lives under those same expectations.
For years I believed I had been robbed of countless opportunities because of my childhood experiences and my years of unpredictable circumstances. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized I had allowed these situations to dictate my potential and thus, interfere with God’s unlimited capabilities.
God meets us in our expectations.
If we continue in this unhealthy habit of setting limitations on God because of our limited expectations of what He can do, we will find ourselves disappointed and discouraged in the outcome of our lives. God has incredible plans for each one of His children, including us. Whether we grew up in a small town or a big city, being a child of God means breaking through every societal, environmental, and relational expectation and allowing Him to transform us by His power and love.
Our Creator created us so that we could spend our lives knowing and being known by Him. He has equipped us with natural and supernatural gifts in order that we might carry out His good works on earth in partnership with Him for the glory of the King. He is not concerned with the expectations others have placed on us because He has empowered us to do “even greater things than these” {John 14:12}.
I encourage you to reflect on your own life and identify the areas that you have allowed the expectations of yourself or of others to set limitations on God and release those expectations to the Lord. He wants us to experience the fullness of Him in every aspect of our lives, but He will only release what we open ourselves up to receive. And who we are is not dependent on our past experiences, nor on the amount of opportunities presented to us. Who we are has already been determined by Jesus on the Cross, and until we understand our value in Him, God will continue to meet us in our expectations.