Going Above and Beyond
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21
When someone asks you to go above and beyond, what are they exactly asking of you? They ask you to take the request and do even more than the baseline.
In athletics, if your coach asks you to go above and beyond the expectations outlined in practice that day, you might find yourself setting up the cones and picking them up. You might learn the play yourself but then choose to take time and teach it to another teammate. To go above and beyond is to exceed the expectations set forth for the task.
If you’re like me, you tend to have high expectations for yourself and those around you. As athletes, we often are the ones who go above and beyond so that we have the highest chance of success. It’s hard to exceed our expectations because we set the bar so high for ourselves and those around us.
The wonderful thing about the Christian life is that God will always exceed our expectations. Our imaginations cannot even start to comprehend the magnitude of how God’s plan far exceeds any plan we create for ourselves. Think of all the dreams you have ever had; God can go above them. God can surpass all the goals you desire to reach in life.
We have an idea of what we think our life should be. Our dreams shape our actions, and we can’t stop thinking about what life will be like if we achieve all we desire. Hearing that God’s plan will go above and beyond our wildest dreams for every good thing we want and expect is mind-blowing.
What do we need to do? Follow Him and trust that what He has in store for us is far better than anything we could imagine.
- How have you seen God exceed expectations in your life so far?
- Are you holding on too tight to your idea of how your life should look and unable to see God’s good gifts for you?
- How can you embrace God’s plan for your life?
“Abba Father, You’re the good, good Father. All Your ways are far better than anything we could ever imagine. You will always go above and beyond our expectations. Help us not to hold too tightly to what we think is best but embrace what You have set out for our life. Amen.”
