Expectations

The thing about expectations are, we all have them. We all have them for ourselves, for people we know and love and for people we don't know. For example, I am sure you expect yourself to cry at a sappy love story or be upset if someone is mistreating someone you care about. We expect the people we love and care about to be nice and kind to us and if they aren't we are caught off guard because then it is unexpected. Am I right? And people we don't know? Well, I for one, expect them to follow the general rules of society. You know, use manners, kind words, etc. Does this sound pretty simple to you? It does to me. So why do we have it all messed up? Why do we expect ourselves to conquer the moon and everything in between? Why do we feel like we have to do it all?

Who do you blame? Society? Social Media? The 1950's? Your mom, grandma, dad? A combination of people/situations?

Do you blame society because as a whole we are to busy yet still expected to make our homes look like Martha Stewart was just there? Do you blame Social Media because all of those women post pictures of their homes like Martha Stewart just left but they just got home from a 3 hour ball game. Do you blame the 1950's because women were supposed to run the house while looking like Cinderella in her ball gown and glass slippers. Do you blame a combination of all of these because who the hell can live up to any of these damn standards?

I was doing research about how Jesus treated women. You know what word I ran across that described how he treated women? Extraordinary. Why? Why did this person writing this article choose that word? Yes, he treated women better than anyone has in history. He treated them like real people with thoughts and feelings and emotion and problems and love. Why is that extraordinary? Men were already treated this way. The expectation was men were treated with respect and women were treated less than. The expectation was women were to stay behind the scenes and make sure her man was successful, to make sure the home ran as it should, without complaint, without rest, and certainly without help. So all of the sudden treating a woman like a human is extraordinary?

Please do not misunderstand. I think Jesus himself is extraordinary and we could all stand to live our lives a little more like he did. Please do not think I am in any way making light of his teachings or abilities. I am simply stating that women should have always been treated as Jesus treated them. The way Jesus treated them should have been normal not extraordinary.

I firmly believe women tried to do it all since the beginning of time, not because it was expected of them, but to try to prove they deserved to be loved and respected also. To try to convince all people that we too, are people. To say to everyone, "Look what I can do all by myself. Don't I deserve love? Don't I deserve respect? Don't I deserve to be treated like a person?"

Unfortunately, that attitude has carried over into today's world. Unfortunately, even though we are treated like people more than we ever have been we still feel like we have to "do it all." Let's stop.

 Look at what women, men and children have accomplished throughout history. Look at what you can do, look at what you have already done. You don't have to do it all. Now more than ever, we are noticed, we are seen, we are respected, loved and helped. Now is the time to treat ourselves as Jesus treated us. Extraordinary? No. Loved with no expectations.

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