I am a pastor's kid, also lovingly referred to as a PK. I don't think anyone can understand my situation unless they're a pastor's kid themselves. Not only have I been an Adventist my whole life, but my father is a leader in the church. Don't get me wrong; this isn't a bad thing. If anything, sometimes I feel like I have this special connection with Jesus, even though I was taught my whole life that He loves us all the same. There is a downside to being a PK, and that is the expectations that come along with your father's title.

"Do you watch movies?"

"Do you go outside?"

Yes, I've been asked those questions, and a few other bizarre ones. Usually I'd like to come back with a witty remark like, "No, I just sit in a cubicle in my room with a candle and read the Holy Scriptures 24/7." Only I know how that would make my father look as a parent. People's expectations of me are fairly high, and I try to meet them, though I've come to realize how impossible that is.

The truth is all of us, not just PKs, have people in our lives who expect something out of us. We can either go above people's expectations, meet them exactly, or disappointment tremendously. Sometimes, it's hard to meet everyone's expectations.

People tend to quickly lose faith in us if we continue to disappoint them. And the more they lose faith in us, the less they will depend on us for anything. Meeting other's expectations can drive even the sanest person mad. Sadly, we will never meet people's expectations of us; we will never be exactly what everyone wants us to be.

Jesus, however, allows us to keep striving toward His affirmations. His expectations for humans are written out plainly in the Bible. But unlike humans, He won't turn His back on us if we don't meet those expectations word for word. In fact, He knows we won't. That's why He died for us so long ago. He knew that years down the road we were going to let Him down, and that we weren't going to meet His expectations.

Jesus also acknowledges our efforts in meeting His expectations. Many times we try all we can, but if we don't meet exactly what someone expects of us, they only see the failure not the effort. Jesus sees our effort; He acknowledges it, and He blesses us.

I don't know about you, but when I was younger, around 10 or 11, a clean room was a must—not for me, but for my parents. I never understood what the big deal was. If I want to live in my own mess, just let me. And even when I did clean my room, it never seemed clean enough for them. Some toy was always out of place, or some corner on my bedsheet was always ruffled. I didn't know what they expected of me, but I knew there was no way I could ever reach their expectations of a spotless room. It was just impossible.

Our lives, just like my bedroom, will never be spotless. We are humans, and therefore there will always be some blemish in our spirituality that distinguishes us from perfect beings, such as angels. And yet God allows us to continue to dwell here, on Earth, even as we corrupt it. Just like my parents didn't expect me to have a perfect room every time but still expected me to try, Jesus wants us to try to become more like Him. He knows we will never be able to be perfect like Him on this earth, but He does expect us to make an effort.

So how do we try to meet the expectations of someone so great? How do we live up to something we will probably never live up to? Remember me, the PK? I'll never live up to any of those things that church members expect of me—the perfect, flawless child who follows worshipfully in her heavenly Father's and earthly father's footsteps. I mess up sometimes, sometimes I say the wrong things, and sometimes I just get too tired to try. Here's the difference between humans and God. When we mess up, when we say the wrong things, and when we get too tired to try, He doesn't lower His expectations; they stay exactly the same. Instead of being utterly disappointed in us and looking at us in shame, He pushes us along, giving us encouragement to keep going.

I may go through life constantly disappointing a lot of people. I may always say the wrong thing, never keep a spotless room, and probably continue my battle of imperfection. You see, I can live and die knowing I wasn't perfect, but I can't live with myself if I don't continue to try.

Janelle Collins is a freshman journalism major at Andrews University.