A Prayer About Expectations

When I set unrealistic standards

ALMIGHTY GOD,

I tend to be a perfectionist, so I get dismayed in this fallen world and continue to be surprised and frustrated when things break or don’t work right, illness strikes, and people let me down. But every person sins, makes mistakes, and fails, a fact I often forget. I also set very high standards for my personal performance. That has served me well as a motivation to succeed in many areas, but it also causes me to be disappointed with myself when I don’t meet those standards, which happens often. This affects my relationships, too, because I can be critical of friends, neighbors, relatives, and coworkers when they fall short of my unrealistic expectations. Help me to have a realistic perspective, God, accepting the hard truth about human nature and remembering that only you are perfect. I should still work hard to do my best in this world, but I understand that I will only be complete in the next. I certainly should not expect unbelievers to know and do right—I should point them to Christ.

Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23