ExpectationsLast night on "The Insider's Guide to Happiness" the narrator says that it's better to go through life with no expectations. That way, you won't be disappointed.
According to the dictionary, expecation means: "eager anticipation, to look forward to, to consider likely or certain, the idea of looking ahead to something in the future, to anticipate."
Agree or disagree? Are expectations a bad thing? Is disappointment such a bad thing that we must avoid it at all costs?
I couldn't help responding ( I added a few things here)...
Whether to have expectations or not depends on what (or on Whom) one places one's expectations, I think.
Some people expect to win the lottery, but never buy a ticket. They're risk averse.
Some people expect perfection according to their standards. But, as Sting wrote years ago, "to look here for heaven is to live here in hell."
I think that Christ does invite us to have expectations and hopes, but in Him and His will. He calls us to take the risk of faith in Him.
I like the line in the Psalms that says to "Delight in the Lord" (which reads like a precondition to me) "and He will give you the desires of your heart." I don't always delight in the Lord, I must confess. Most of the time I "delight" more in me and my agenda. But I imagine that if I delighted in the Lord, I would always want what God wills.
One of the reasons people counsel against having expectations, I think, is that all of us have been hurt by life. It's easier to give up than to believe in a better day. (Or, as a character in one of Steve Taylor's old songs says, "Life unwinds like a cheap sweater, but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better.") But that doesn't seem like much of a way to live to me. Every day I ask God to help me put my hope in Christ. I'm in the process of learning how.
What do you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment