Great Expectations

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are” - Donald Miller,

The Wise Owl used to tell me to stop having expectations. He used to tell me, "sister, don't expect anything from God Almighty as He will give when He decides to give. Don't expect anything from people as they may not measure up when you want them to. When you don't have expectations, everything good is a bonus." I must admit that what he said is so very true.

Recently, God decided to cross my path with a group a people from a completely different walk of life. When I first met them, the Wise Owl's advice immediately came into mind. So instead of trying to read them by the way they were dressed, like I was trained to, I opened up my heart and my ears. MasyaAllah! I found them to be truly gifted people. They taught me a thing or two about love, honesty and loyalty. Most of all, they showed me the true meaning of sincerity.

Every time God throws a person in my path, I know that I'm supposed to learn something from him or her. I met a couple who dedicate their entire waking hours thinking of ways to do good deeds. To me,  they give a new meaning to the phrase 'living life to the fullest'. I must admit how I envy their ability to do good.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:"Allah does not look at your appearances or your financial status, but He looks at your hearts and your actions."  (Al-Bukhari)

If you think about it, when we have expectations, we are in fact judging a person in accordance to our own standards. If that person didn't measure up then we deemed him or her as a failure and we get disappointed or upset. Truthfully, it is us who have actually failed. We failed to accept people as they are, limitations and all.

Now, I truly understand that when it comes to life, my teacher does not  necessarily have to be an Islamic scholar or someone who memorized the holy Quran. Anyone can be your teacher. It's just a matter of whether you are humbled enough to be a student. I had a stranger who came to me, one day, asking me to not stop writing as my ramblings had helped her. She in turn, had taught me to hope when I was at the brink of giving up.  

Like I said, anyone can be your teacher. In fact, to me, the best teachers are the ones who touched your heart and leaves a mark, whoever he or she might be.....