"Unmet Expectations, Lead to Frustration and Anger"
-Reid Delgado
This is a common saying at Sonshine the houseboat camp I worked for, for so many years. My mentor and the staff said it all the time, but I don't think I really understood it until the past couple years.
When I was hired at the church St. Paul's, they wanted to hire me full time with no job description...I said I will not work until I have a set job description. It was important for both of us to know what to expect from each other so there wasn't any unknown expectations that were not met, which would lead to frustration, anger and burnout.
We bring expectations to so many areas of our lives. Expectations of friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, family, school, teachers, bosses, work, etc. etc. It's not a bad thing. Thing about it, we expect so much out of people. We expect MOST other drivers to drive safely. We even bring expectations to church. We expect a certain level of worship, a certain level from the message, a certain level of fellowship. How many times to we talk about church like a movie? How was it? How was the music? But do we expect to encounter the Risen Lord there? Do we have expectations of God?
In the past I have expected God to answer my prayer in a certain way. I expect him to provide, bless and reward me in a certain way. In the end I realized that I was praying half heartily. Selfishly I wanted my answer, and I expected God to do so. I was frustrated and angry when He graciously did not answer.
Our hearts are revealed when we go through difficult times...a break up, a death, a family or personal illness, loneliness, depression, a broken family etc. etc. And we ask God..."Why Me?" Deep down we feel God owes us for following Him. We think, God why me? You owe me, I expected that you would keep me from bad stuff and only give me gifts if I sacrificed everything for you. God I expected to not lose my home, to have a boyfriend/girlfriend, to get into the school I wanted, to have a healthy functioning family.
While expectations are good for a lot of reasons, we tend to box God in with them. God is so much bigger than that! We expect God to move in a certain way, but what do we know? Lovingly He does not meet all of our selfish expectations. What we can expect from God is that He is God, He is Good and He wants the best for all of us, His children. And He loves us! He is faithful and He will never leave us. It's kinda vague, especially for those of us who like to know and plan ahead. It's scary not knowing where you are heading. Just means that you have to lean and trust on God more, and buckle up for a wild ride.
I have had so many selfish expectations of God. To provide money, a girl and family for me, something I desperately want. I even went through a couple years of depression over it, among other things. Even when I pray about dating a girl, I pray, but I want my answer. Not just dating either, so many times I want my answer from God.
This summer has been hard, but AMAZING! God moved in so many ways, and I've experienced Him in new ways. The High School Houseboat Trip was epic! It was the first one we've ever taken with high school students. I did the same theme and messages for high school, but God was there, the Spirit was speaking. It was a challenging week for all students and staff alike. My roommate Ryan came as a volunteer and we were challenged so much that our relationship became closer and we share and pray together. Students lives were transformed, it was the spark we've been working so hard for. It's like I knew what to expect from God, but it still surprises me and He blew my expectations out of the water. Out of all the weeks, over 60, I've been on houseboats with students, this one was the best. Staff, Sonshine and ours, Students, messages and worship were all just divinely placed. It was Amazing!
Two simple things we say all the time, so simple have rocked my world. We covered them on houseboats and this summer. One, that I am a child of God and He loves me. Really to understand that, life would look so different. If I really believed that, I'd be seeking His approval alone. I wouldn't care how I looked all the time. I wouldn't seek love in the wrong places. The list goes on. Two, that God is Good and He has my best interest in mind. To really believe God is Good, then you know He wants the best for you. So, even when things seem down now, God is working a much bigger picture. He wants something better and greater for you than you could even imagine. And as Rascal Flatts would say "Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern Stars, Pointing me on my way into Your Loving Arms" While that is about a girl, I think about Life in general pointing us to HIS Loving Arms!
