Is the Weight of Expectations Dimming Your Glory?

Moving from the exhaustion of performance to the freedom of abiding.

Does This Sound Like You Today?

Recently, Father showed me something that’s been weighing heavily on my heart. And it’s something that I too have struggled with from time to time.

Many of His daughters, especially those serving in ministry, feel like they’re drowning in a sea of self-imposed expectations because they’re trying to navigate a divine calling using a worldly compass.

One of their main fears is that they’re not living up to God’s expectations of them.

When this happens, they inevitably begin to question their worthiness and, eventually, their very calling itself.

The result? The glory of God that is meant to radiate through them begins to fade, hidden behind a veil of their own making.

The Burden of the Law

We all know the story of Moses. After meeting with God on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, when he came down his face shone so brightly from being in the presence God, that he had to wear a veil because the Israelites were afraid to look at him.

Not only that, he was also wearing the veil because he didn’t want them to see that the glory was already beginning to fade.

Under the Old Covenant, life was governed by the Law. The mandate was clear:

“Obey Me, and I will be your God... Walk in obedience to all that I command you, that it may go well with you” (Jeremiah 7:23).

If they did their part, God would do His. Talk about having the weight of expectations on you!

But the Israelites struggled because their understanding was veiled, and they simply couldn’t sustain the obedience required on their own.

Now, if Moses’ face shone so gloriously from a temporary encounter with God, how much more brightly should we reflect His glory?

We aren’t just visiting on the mountain; we have His Holy Spirit living within us permanently!

The Heart of the New Covenant

We’re no longer bound by the Old Covenant of “do your part and I’ll do my part”. God doesn’t have those same expectations of us.

We now live under grace. God had promised a shift in how He was going to be relating to His children in the future.

“I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Wow! God knew we couldn’t uphold the Law alone. That is why He sent Jesus. In His infinite grace, He didn’t just fulfil His part of being our God - through His Son, He made a way to help us fulfil our part, too. He literally wrote His laws on our hearts, and then He causes us to want to uphold them.

The veil of pride and hard-heartedness that once blinded the Israelites, and us too, had been torn away.

When we come to Christ, the “weight” of trying to live up to what we perceive as God’s expectations of us, is supposed to lift. But sadly, too many of us are still allowing the weight of those supposed expectations to dim our glory.

I remember the first time I truly understood Philippians 2:13:

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.”

Wow, it was like a physical burden had fallen from my shoulders!

I suddenly realized it wasn’t all up to me. I didn’t have to try and do it all myself. Instead, I get to cooperate with what He is already doing in me.

The Trap of the Worldly Compass

But if we’re not careful, somewhere along the way, the lines can get blurry.

We can become so focused on creating the “perfect” ministry or being the “perfect” wife and mother that we take our eyes off the One who called us.

Before we know it, we start neglecting our own spiritual growth and begin measuring our worth by worldly standards: a perfect home, a flawless social media presence, or an “unshakable” spiritual life.

In our quest for perfection, we leave no room for the very grace we preach to others.

The Call to Abide:

Are you unknowingly putting the veil back on?

Do you feel like you’re drowning under the pressure of what you think God expects of you?

If so, it’s time to take it off.

God has only one primary expectation of you: that you abide in Him.

Stop worrying about whether you’re performing perfectly; He is the one who helps you walk in His will.

Stop comparing your marriage, your home, your ministry to others; your journey is uniquely yours.

Stop hiding the moments where you feel weak just to keep others from seeing the “fading glory.” Those you are called to reach, will benefit much more from seeing that you are just as human as they are.

Identity and authority don’t come from a polished exterior; they come from an unveiled heart that reflects the the glory of the Lord.

As we learn to truly abide in Him, He causes us to become increasingly more like Him, taking us from one degree of glory to the next.

That glory is not meant to be hidden behind a veil!

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Let’s connect and reflect:

My dear sister, is your glory being dimmed by the weight of that “worldly compass” you’re carrying around?

Which area of your life feels most affected by the weight of those perceived expectations right now?

Your ministry, your home, your marriage, your sense of worth?

Or perhaps it’s something altogether different.

I’d love to hear from you, and pray for you.

Blessings from an unveiled heart,

Jane

Leave a comment below and let’s encourage one another to walk in the glory that is our for the taking.