|
“Expectations”
One day last week, during the tropical cold snap, my dog Pippa and I set out for our afternoon walk. I dressed appropriately, wearing an undershirt and a large overshirt that served as a jacket. Within five minutes of our walk, I realized that I dressed too warmly, so I removed my overshirt and we continued our walk.
Several minutes later, I arrived at a large road barricade (utility workers had a side road blocked). I looked this way and that, and not seeing anyone, I hung my overshirt on the barricade and continued walking around the corner and out of sight of my shirt.
When I hung it up, I thought it would be safe. “This is Longboat Key,” I said to myself.
“The only crime is when someone loses their flip-flops and calls the police. Nobody would dare to take my shirt.”
I kept walking. I expected to return and find the shirt where I had placed it. It wasn’t exactly
a high-traffic location, but even so, I can’t imagine why someone would consider taking it.
Then, another thought came to mind. “I didn’t need my overshirt which is why I removed it.
If someone comes along and they need it, they should take it. It’ll be okay.”
During the rest of my walk, I spent most of my time thinking about expectations.
My expectations drive many of my decisions. Sometimes, my expectations are good and healthy, but at other times, my expectations can be unrealistic, negative, or ignorant.
Expectations can be difficult to change. For instance, the day following the walk I just described, I encountered a neighbor who had just returned to the island since last Spring. They made the comment that they expected more of the island to be put back together, referring to the first-floor units in our complex that are still uninhabitable.
I was taken aback by their comment, thinking that they had no idea what they were talking about. Their expectations were developed from a total misunderstanding of what we had been through. It made me angry, but then again, they were acting out of ignorance.
Their expectations, though unfounded and ridiculous, were developed because of some other pre-conceived knowledge or experience. In other words, their dumb thought was not their fault. (But don’t worry. I corrected them!)
Expectations can be powerful tools, but sometimes we make them with incomplete or even inaccurate information. Kinda like my shirt that I hung up based upon my experience that the only crime on the island is the cat that climbed too high in the tree: I made my decision based on my personal comfort, which isn’t always correct.
We may not exceed every expectation, but God will! Please join us at the Chapel this week, online or in person!
God Bless, Brock.
| 
