This past Sunday, Austin Presnell opened the Word and led us through a powerful teaching on the expectations we carry in our lives. He invited us to reflect on the many pressures we place on ourselves. Expectations shaped by our parents, our own internal standards, the demands of our workplace, or the voices of coworkers, partners, and society. Over time, these expectations can quietly pile up, weighing us down and convincing us that our worth is tied to performance, achievement, or approval.

Austin reminded us that while these expectations may feel normal or even necessary, many of them do not come from Jesus. Instead of bringing life and freedom, they often lead to exhaustion, guilt, and striving. He challenged us to consider what it looks like to intentionally release those burdens and surrender them to Christ—to ask Jesus to take the expectations we were never meant to carry. In doing so, we are invited into a deeper freedom, one rooted not in who we’re trying to be for others, but in who we already are in Him. When we lay these expectations at His feet, we make space to walk in grace, rest, and the true identity Jesus offers us.

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