Unspoken Expectations…

We carry around these unspoken expectations
Like black anchors on our souls.
Insidiously life-stealing
Their chains drag our hearts down.
We refuse to let go,
Insisting we must fulfill their impossible demands,

Loss creates a vortex that swallows whole
Our expectations and anticipations,
Leaving us empty handed.
I wish I could have said…
I wish I could have done…

In a frantic strain to patch
The gaping hole left by wounds,
We distort the “I wish” into “I should.”
I should be able to say…
I should be able to do…

Mistakenly betraying ourselves into believing
that others emphatically agree
With our self-imposed expectations,
We’re left with these anchors-
Unspoken, unmet, and ever burdening.

What is it for you?
Those secret, lurking lies
That steal joy and breath without us fully realizing it?

Fear of more miscarriages,
Barrenness, and the uncertainty of adoption,
Whisper reckless lies
That only in the “I wish” or “I should” world-
Can I find everything worth wanting…

Except, that’s not what God says.
God says, “I AM.”
And “I have redeemed you for a purpose.”
Everything worth wanting is found in God,
Not in chasing ever-elusive expectations.

What if we choose instead
to trust God with all these things?
What if we focused on where God has put us,
And do what we can with what He’s given us?

What if we earnestly ask Him to lift off of our hearts
These unmet and unspoken expectations that weigh us down?

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-30

The Best Anchor: “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.  Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20