Expectation
is one of life's happiest joys. We 'can't wait' for the day
off, a good night's sleep, a cherished friend to visit, a well-earned
vacation, supper. Who doesn't love to hear the satisfied sigh:
“Finally!”?
Expectations
depend on reliability: no one dare get hopes up if the odds are too
slim. Sadly, some expectations are little more than wishful thinking,
fodder for broken dreams.
Winter
in Alaska is full of expectation. Folks from elsewhere can't fathom
how we endure the endless white landscape, the thermometer stuck
below zero, sun dials with precious little to 'dial'. But we do
endure, and one secret is expectation.
We
know, we hope – sometimes we wonder. But deep in the soul a weak
sun glimmers, hope gives a wan smile, and we know again winter won't
last forever. Light will soon come and overstay its welcome, and the
magical Alaskan summer will make us forget winter ever was.
Expectation
goes with the life of faith as well. Those who believe expect their
faith will become sight. Our faith is grounded in One we have dared
to trust and found to be trustworthy. As the Psalmist has it, “Those
who know what He is like will trust in Him.” (Ps.
9:10) We should think well enough of God to believe He keeps
His word. This allows expectation, the result of confidence in one we
have found reliable.
When
loved ones die with confidence in God, we hope to meet them again,
believing God is able and will keep His word. This expectation offers
light and joy in dark days. When loved ones – or we ourselves –
slip on the journey we find our Lord meets us there. We learn to hope
in His faithful love, expressed over and over, nurturing confident
expectation that “underneath are the everlasting arms”, “he
will not leave or forsake us”, “He is working both to will and to
do of His good pleasure”, “joy comes in the morning.”
And
finally, Jesus promised all will be made new and those who rely on
Him will live forever. The skeptic finds this an outlandish claim:
“Show me!” Believers may reply: “Our faith is the reality of
what we can't 'show you', evidence of what we cannot now see. But
come and discover for yourself – you may find to your great
surprise there is something worth believing, something beyond this
life reasonably to hope for.”
No
believer suggests we know with certainty. Faith is a different kind
of knowing, trusting the claims of one we cannot see, giving the
Eternal God the ultimate care of our eternal well-being. Who else
would we trust for such things? And so, because we trust a faithful
Christ, we live with joyous expectation.
What
are you expecting this year? Look to Christ, trust His good way,
receive His grace to walk steadily on. “He makes all things
beautiful in His time.”
thanks
“To whom are you willing to be obligated for the sake of community? “By whom am I willing to be served for the sake of community?”
Stated another way:
Upon whom am I willing to impose?
That may, in the end, be the hardest part of these lifestyle alterations for us to embrace. Is it possible we all want to be the magnanimous benefactor, while none of us want to be the hat-in-hand pauper? Interdependence is fine as long as I’m the one helping, rather than the one receiving assistance.
Great questions.