We are awash in conveniences that tend to make us impatient—if not somewhat lazy. Case in point; we get annoyed at minor hinderances—the Internet is slow, traffic is heavy, we have to wait long in the doctor’s office, or in line at the grocery. Annoyances becloud our thinking. Our culture has so conditioned our expectations for instant gratification that we automatically expect to get what we want. We internalize “I want it and I want it now.”
Maybe we have reached the point that we feel that we deserve it—-now. I once heard an illustration of this attitude. A guy was going out his front door one morning and there lay a $20.00 bill on the welcome mat The next morning as he went out, there was another $20.00. Each day it happened all over again. One day he went out and there was no $20.00 bill. He got very upset! “Where is my $20.00 bill?” He groused.
Expectations are created both by how we live and by choices we make. We are born into circumstances that create expectations. Often our expectations rest on a feeling of privilege. As a child, I felt priviledged—we were not by any means wealthy. My grandfather let us live in one of his former tenant houses. Our house was near his store—I felt free to hang out there a lot. My uncle’s machine shop was next door; my cousin and I felt free to play in and around his expensive tools and machines—developing our versions of simple machines. I expected to be loved and accepted entirely. Privilege can ooze into your life undetected. As a result, I cruised through childhood naive and felt inviolable.
Many students now are expecting college acceptance letters—they had sent applications earlier. Their expectations drive them to work harder in school, work on volunteer projects, and develop solid character building habits. I think it is important to have high expectations. Undergirded with integrity, persistence, and ethical principles, even unreasonable expectations can go far; for example, Bishop MIlton Wright said, almost two centuries ago, “Man will never fly.” Almost two decades before Bishop Wright died, his sons, Wilbur and Orrville had successfully launched the aviation era. The boys had high expectations.
I think of Joseph; his youthful high and mighty expectations may have prompted his brothers to fabricate the tale of his grisly death’ the tale they told Jacob, their father. They had sold Joseph to some traders. However, as you may recall, over time and trusting in the God of his fathers, Joseph was able to curate his faith, intellect, and compassion in a redemptive way; it reconciled him with his brothers, and more importantly, laid a trace toward Christ. Expectations can be traitorous or treasured.
© Copyright Willis H. Moore 2024