Everyone expects something. I need to show my travel card to the conductor. People are looking for support in resolving problems, work and personal. Managers are looking for deliverables on time, with clarity, and under budget! Kids are looking for help with their homework. Our best friends are…well you get the drift, eh?
I realize that my words are setting the stage for a whining session, but that is not where I am going. I expect things from others just as frequently and with as much intensity as everyone does of me. I look for a ride to and from the train, I expect a morning hug from the kids, and I assume people are willing to work efficiently and effectively. Additionally, I expect God to show up and be part of my life! Everything I expect brings some benefit or reward with it.
In the connection between expectation and benefit/reward disconnects begins to occur. I forget my travel card, I cannot or will not resolve another’s problems, I do not deliver on schedule, and I am as lost as the kids with their homework. People working for me do not understand the task or encounter difficulties in getting the work done. There are times where I do not get a ride to or from the train and end up walking. When I leave before the kids wake up it is difficult to hold them accountable for not sharing a hug. God’s gifts are often left on the table because I will not take the time to receive them.
Imagine a world where everything was in sync. People’s expectations were met, all my needs and wants from others fulfilled. Teamwork became a redundant expression for relationships. Talk about results! The facts are that given our focus “everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.” (Romans 8.20)
So here we are, waiting in expectancy.
