When Expectations Derail Your Dreams

When Expectations Derail Your Dreams

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Michael Westbrook was a gifted wide receiver for the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals during an eight-year NFL career. He had been an All-American at the University of Colorado and was known for catching one of the most dramatic touchdowns in Colorado history to beat Michigan. He had succeeded at every level. And at the relatively young age of thirty, he retired and became active in mixed martial arts. Why? Because apparently he never even liked football.

That’s what he said in an article I read not long after he retired. He felt like he needed to play because it was expected of him. I was not only surprised that he didn’t like the game, I was also saddened that he had spent so much of his life doing something he didn’t enjoy. Like many other people, he had set his direction solely because of the expectations of others.

We see this all the time, don’t we? Kids in my youngest children’s classes are all planning to grow up to be doctors or artists, gymnasts or football players, presidents or police officers. Sometimes these are the children’s plans, but often they’re really their parents’ plans. But as they get older, kids confess to no longer having those dreams, if they were theirs at all. They had learned to conform to the expectations of those around them. Many of us go through life trying to play a role expected of us by parents, spouses, or the culture itself.

God put certain things in your heart, passions and dreams that others don’t have. It’s true that some childhood dreams may prove to be unrealistic, but there’s something in them that reflects God’s fingerprints in your life. Those fingerprints are unique to you, and they shouldn’t remain hidden. They shouldn’t have to conform to other people’s expectations or be quenched because someone has another plan for your life. If your dreams develop in the process of seeking God’s will and fit within His overall purposes, follow them. He would not have given them to you if they were not important.

Uncommon Key > God made you the unique person you are. Discover your passions. Dare to dream, to reach, and to soar. The world needs what you have to offer.