Family isn’t meant to be a place to prove something, but to teach us something about ourselves. It’s a place we endeavor to cultivate some skill and strategy for becoming better managers of our expectations and the expectations of people who mean the most to us.
Open: Describe your home expectations: Do you feel that these are fair?
Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7; 5:6-7; Luke 6:32-36; Colossians 3:12-13; James 2:13
Discuss:
1. Describe some of the difficult expectations in your marriage and family: Where do you believe these expectations stem? How do you normally react to these expectations? How do you see anger, anxiety, sadness and shame reflected in the reactions across our society?
2. Why are expectations such a big issue in home-life? Describe a few reasons why we have some of these expectations: In what ways do you lower expectations to level the experience? Describe a time when your experience met your expectations?
3. How have you seen expectations change from the beginning of your family life to today? How have you expectations matured? How can your current expectations mature? What do you find interesting about the words Peter uses in 1 Peter 3:8 in correlation with his commands to family in 3:1-7? Which of these words do you believe is your biggest expectations struggle? Why?
4. In reading the Scripture passages listed above…how can you deal with expectations in a godly way? How does the ultimate expectations of Christ, aid you in fulfilling your expectations in the home? How has God surpassed your expectations?
Pray: Pray that you would learn harmony and balance in your family expectations
Memorize/Meditate: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14
