Inspect What You Expect – A Lesson Just for Me and for You!
by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
This week, Mark 11 kept showing up in my quiet time. Every time I opened the Word or listened to a teaching, the cursing of the fig tree jumped out like a blinking light. I knew God was trying to tell me something, but it wasn’t until Tuesday night that the message hit home—loud and clear.
That evening, one of my dearest friends and I had a rare treat: girls’ night out at Longhorn’s in Dublin. No husbands, no children—just laughter, food, and a little spiritual reset. While I was gone, my sweet husband Chris held down the fort with Liam, which meant… a night of farming until 9:00 p.m.
When they got home, Chris told Liam to take a shower while he kicked off his boots and relaxed.
Here’s the thing: our eight-year-old son has a history of skipping the actual washing part of bathing. 😂 So when I got home later and checked on him, I found Liam fast asleep in his pajamas—with mud streaks down his arms, dirt under his fingernails, and hair that still smelled like the field. The boy had simply let water drip over him, thinking that counted as a shower.
I wasn’t mad. I just laughed and walked into our room where Chris was settled in for the night. “Liam is still dirty,” I said. “He didn’t use soap.”
Chris looked at me and said, “I didn’t think I needed to check because I figured he could shower by now.”
Suddenly, out of my mouth came a phrase I’ve said to our kids for years:
“Inspect what you expect!”
I expect my child to resist soap, so I inspect his cleanliness.
I expect a teen to keep secrets, so I inspect the phone history.
I expect forgetfulness, messiness, impulsiveness—so I check behind the things I’ve asked.
Right there, sitting on the edge of my bed, Jesus stopped me in my tracks.
“That’s exactly what I do with you,” He said.
“I expect faithfulness, consistency, and mercy from you as my daughter. So I inspect what I expect.”
And suddenly, Mark 11 made perfect sense.
“He saw in the distance a fig tree in leaf. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves…” (Mark 11:13)
Jesus cursed the fig tree not because it had no potential—but because it had the appearance of fruitfulness without actually bearing anything. The leaves looked fresh. The growth looked promising, but upon inspection, there was NOTHING.
The issue wasn’t the leaves.
It was the root.
When the root is unhealthy, there can be no fruit, and without faith—genuine, living, fruitful faith—we cannot please God.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
— Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)📖
That night, I heard Him whisper again:
“Faith is the root of every child of God. If there’s no fruit, there’s no faith. A faithless child cannot inherit the Kingdom.”
I was shook. HUMBLED. Because I’m in a season of learning to walk by faith—not sight; some days, I feel like that muddy little boy, trying to pass by on minimal effort. However, God isn’t fooled by appearances. He sees beneath the surface. He inspects the roots.
“I expect you to be faithful, to be consistent, and to be merciful, so I inspect what I expect of you as My daughter.”
— Jesus, said to me in a quiet moment of correction and love.
“For each tree is known by its own fruit.”
— Luke 6:44 (ESV)
The Word and His lesson to me powerfully reinforce the message that true faith is not about appearances but about consistent, Spirit-filled fruit.
The next morning, I woke Liam up early. I made sure he washed properly—soap and all. When he left for school, he was clean, refreshed, and a brand-new version of the little boy who had gone to bed dirty the night before this.
Because as his mother, I inspected what I expected.
As our Father, God does the same.
💡 Reflection
Take time this week to ask yourself:
- Am I bearing fruit that matches my faith?
- Do I have the appearance of being rooted… or the actual root of trust in Jesus?
- Is there an area in my life that looks leafy but is really lacking spiritual depth?
🙏 Prayer
Father, thank You for inspecting what You expect in me. Thank You for loving me enough to reveal the areas where I need growth, correction, and deeper faith. Help me to never settle for appearances. Create in me a root system strong and healthy—grounded in Your Word and full of fruit for Your Kingdom. I want to be clean, useful, and pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
📖 Mark 11:13 (NIV)
“Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves…”
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
— Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)📖
#InspectWhatYouExpect #Mark11 #FaithInAction #MuddyLessons #FaithfulNotFake #CleanInsideAndOut #ParentingRevelations #JesusTeachesMeDaily #FruitfulFaith #MyStoryHisGlory
The Aging English Major 