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Micah 6:6-8

 

In premarital counseling, I ask the couple to write out the “expectations” they have of each other. It is very interesting to see their lack of absolute honesty and transparency in this exercise, for either they haven’t thought about it, or they have assumed their partner already knows, or they are afraid to express their true feelings for fear of being rejected. But as we all know, those unexpressed expectations will soon surface, and then comes the conflict.

As a wise person once said, “Unspoken expectations are disappointments waiting to happen.” The wise person with whom I’ve shared almost 60 years said: “Lower your expectations! Then you won’t be totally disappointed, and you might even be surprised!”

In Micah 6:8, God was perfectly clear about what He expects of His people: that we will do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Are these things always easy to do? Of course not! Nor are they one-time accomplishments to be completed and checked off a list, but they can help us understand God’s heart, and shape our own hearts as we put them into practice.