Expectations...
Welcome to the first year blog
So the purpose of this blog is for us to interact and connect so that we can hit the ground running come August. This is a place to share ideas, thoughts, fears etc. On some practical notes I will update the blog at the beginning of every week (Monday or Tuesday), so be on the lookout.
For our first blog post I would like to deal with the topic of expectations. You are about to start a new journey, you have a certain idea as to what it will be like, and you have certain expectations as to what you will encounter this year. So, what is the proper view you should have concerning interning and expectations? When discussing expectations and Christianity there are usually 3 camps.
1. The camp that says expectations are good. They show that you have faith to believe in what God is going to do. So when you have expectations it is a show of faith
2. The camp that says we cannot comprehend what God is going to do, therefore we should not have expectations because we are limiting our experience of Him because he may do something that we are not expecting, and therefore “miss it”
3. Then there are those of us who answer “a little bit of both”
So what do you think, which camp do you fall in?
posted by Daniel Simmons at
9:50 AM
15 Comments:
Im pumped about it! I can not wait for my faith to grow stronger because of my reliance on Him to provide for my everyday living needs! I expect great things!
May 12, 2010 at 1:01 PM
I think that we should have high expectations that God is going to move, but not put an expectation on HOW He will move. See the difference? I shouldn't have low expectations, and I shouldn't also expect certain things.
May 12, 2010 at 3:46 PM
# 1 - God is good. And He works through us and beside us. and J.C. is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm sure He'll do some things I don't see coming. But I'm also definitely expecting around the lines of Luke 4:18-19 'Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me,
to preach the gospel to the poor..heal the brokenhearted...proclaim liberty to the captives..recovery of sight to the blind..set at liberty those who are oppressed...proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'
And I think He wants to do one or all of these through all of us.
He lives and His Spirit is inside each one of us. and He works and we are His body. Coolness.
Peace and Love, ya'll.
May 12, 2010 at 10:45 PM
I've been thinking about this a lot lately actually, and I'm still a bit torn between the two camps. So, I must pitch my tent in the 3rd camp. I think that it is good to have expectations, ones that line up with His heart and to trust that He will move. If you start to analyze why and how He moves certain ways, and you anticipate the direction, then you can (often unintentionally) lose sight of His intentions for you and your expectations become the goal. That is limiting. It's all about balance and recognizing the point at which you try and take over flying the plane (your life), during a stage 5 hurricane, without ever taking a course in navigation and flying techniques. This, will lead to an unfortunate let down of expectations and some sort of blindness to the truth. So, basically, hope that you make it through the storm, but definitely let God fly the plane. Because you don't know how.
Hope that made sense.
-Natalie R. Bush
May 13, 2010 at 9:03 AM
I'm also going to go in the #3 category. I think it is so awesome to expect--kind of synonymous with faith that God is who he says he is. It's just a matter of how willing I am. He is willing; am I? I must open myself up to him.
So expectation is good--we need to eagerly expect and desire the amazing things of God; IT IS OUR INHERITANCE.
However, while we expect, we do not put God in a box or tell him how he's going to carry out his own plans. God is surprising, unpredictable, mysterious. Our portion, our purpose is not to figure him out, but to know him and love him and be loved by him. If God were meant to be figured out, we would not have all of eternity left to search out the extravagant depths of all that he is.
Thus: we expect big things of God. We expect him to do incredible things--because that is his character, and he is faithful to his character. We expect growth and love and miracles and healing, because that's who he is and what he loves to do. That's faith. In Nazareth many were not healed because there was a lack of faith, of expectation.
In Corinthians it says, "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, what God has prepared for those who love him--BUT. God has revealed these things to us through his spirit."
Expect, but without limits. Leave things open.
May 16, 2010 at 11:52 AM
p.s. hey sean!
May 16, 2010 at 11:52 AM
I pitch my tent in camp 3
Often what I expect of things does not happen as I imagine, yet they are always good and often beyond what I hope for- Praise Jesus!
It is a constantly humbling thing, often resulting in simply saying, 'Father what are you doing? What do you desire to do?'
As He speaks to us it is possible to have expectation that is from His heart and not of our own will or presumptuous thought.
By His Spirit He speaks to us the mind of God and things to come, yet we can still not fully know how things will look- stirring us to continually walk in faith,
like children.
So we can, with willing spirits, faithfully believe that our Dad is GOOD and gives good and perfect gifts and that it IS His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.
He often puts expectations in our hearts for a reason. We are His sons and we hear His voice. (Like Aut mentioned, our inheritance!) Through it all He desires us to know Him better and be known by Him.
I want my expectations to align with truth and be full of faith that what He has, especially for this next year, is good, best and perfect.
"My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him." Ps 62:5
May 16, 2010 at 3:22 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
May 17, 2010 at 1:59 PM
I'm in camp uno (1)
I expect the Lord to work with me in whatever the situation may be. I know and trust Jesus to work aspects of my life for my benefit. Sometimes it is hard because from my perspective it may seem I'm possible, but I must have faith and expect Jesus to come through for me according to His will. This mentality paired with the importance of a relationship with Christ gives me a win-win. I expect the Lord to come through for me whether the situation looks like what I thought or not, and it forces me to be wholly dependent because a lot of the time we don't know what we need when Jesus knows it.
Newton
May 17, 2010 at 1:59 PM
camp 3, for sure.
i like to think i'm a "go with the flow" sort of person to a certain extent. i feel the lord work in my life the most when i'm not really looking for it or expecting it.
i do have certain expectations that i feel the lord will meet. but at the same time, i know that there are so many things that will happen next year that i won't ever expect, or even think to expect.
thus, camp 3.
happy summer, friends!
May 19, 2010 at 5:46 AM
I guess thats a very broad statement. I would say it depends what your expectation is grounded in. I find there's two kinds of expectations: one grounded in in a sense of entitlement and another in God's character. One expectation is about my plan, what I desire to occur. Another is about God and the fulfillment of His promises. Me saying I expect to graduate college and be engaged and two years later start a family and live a life with minimal suffering is more about my plan and sense of entitlement, what I think is good for me. But saying I expect Christ to be my satisfaction and sustainer and I expect He will return is a different expectation. The first kind of expectation can lead to anger and bitterness when the goal is blocked or is not achieved. The second brings about perserverence and peace. I'd say there's also a difference between hope and expectation.
May 24, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Hmm probs camp 3. But I think the only reason people "miss it" is because they knowingly or unknowingly take control of an idea or plan God has given them. I think people have high expectations and become so excited and know God has so much in store. I think as a result of that excitement, sometimes people are ready to get going and take matters into there own hands. Unfortunately they accidently leave God behind in all of the decisions/forgot about obedience and could more or less "miss it"
May 25, 2010 at 6:59 PM
I think I'll have to go into camp 1. I like to have expectations for myself as a personal way to be readily anticipating what the Lord has. Otherwise I can get apathetic just waiting. I like what Sloan said about having high expectations that He will move but not knowing how.
May 31, 2010 at 12:05 PM
camp #3.
I believe that expectations are important; they drive our hearts to seek things that are good from the Lord and to eagerly expect that He will do the good things He has promised in His word. But I believe the danger comes in when expecting things that we want for our own wants.
I really loved what Rebekah said:
"I want my expectations to align with truth and be full of faith that what He has..."
With all that said, I expect the Lord to grow me, teach me, and increase my wisdom. But other than those things that He has already promised, I'm just waiting for the things He has for me to come to me.
Kinda like the watchmen in Psalm 130 ("I wait for the Lord, my whole being watis, and in His word I put my hope.")
June 8, 2010 at 10:50 AM
I think I'm a camp 3 guy and it all depends on the situation/circumstances. Say if I go to the Wesley prayer chapel to hang out with God for a while. I'm the type that goes in without expectations but all-the-while knowing that God is there. I do that because I want God to do what He wants to do in that place and I try to make myself open to anything He has. At other times I do have expectations. If I am asking God where He is leading me in life, I expect some sort of answer from Him. So camp 3.
June 14, 2010 at 8:19 PM
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