Expectations

This picture came to my inbox today and got me thinking about “Expectations.” I once saw an interview of Warren Buffet and his longtime partner (who no one has ever heard of) Charlie Munger. The question was asked of them how they got along so well for so many years? They glanced at each other and without hesitation Charlie said,” We have very low expectations of one another.” Wow! There is an insight that everyone needs to understand!

As we approach Christmas, what does this truth mean to us? First it means that God has low expectations of you and me. When God became a man (Jesus Christ), he was willing to sacrifice everything and humble himself in the hope that we would respond to his free gift of love but he had no assurance we would. He had high hopes but low expectations of our desire to reconnect with him as our savior and creator. He gives with no expectation of a return on his investment. He even offers to pay the price of our admission to heaven for free. All we need to do is believe in him.

Secondly, we need to lower our expectations of God. Not because he cannot deliver but because when he does deliver it is always out of love and not because we demand it. We also need to understand that as God, he knows best and therefore does not give us everything we expect or even want because it would undoubtedly ruin our lives. We give ourselves to God with no expectation of what he will do with our life. We simply know that he has our best at heart.

Thirdly, we will get along better with others if we lower our expectations of them. Not only are you imperfect but so is everyone else. Let’s stop judging others by our own standards. That does not mean we expect nothing but let’s realize that there is a lot more going on than we realize and we need to be as generous as possible in expressing our judgment of others. We can afford to lower our expectations of others and it will reap large dividends.

When God became a man over 2000 years ago and lived among us, he gave up all his Kingly prerogatives to show us how much he loved us. In this Christmas Season are you willing to follow his example? This is the secret to a long-lasting relationship with God and others.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 King James Version (KJV)

Magic Formula

“Positive thinking by itself does not work. Your embodied vision, partnered with vibrant thinking, harmonized with active listening, and supported with your conscious action - will clear the path for your Miracles.” ~ Sumner M. Davenport

What is the secret handshake; the magic formula; the correct prayer that will bring us what we want? I hear it a lot; “Why doesn't God answer my prayers?”

The short answer is that I don’t know. But let me share a few things I do know that will take the edge off of your frustration and bolster your confidence toward God.

1. God is not a vending machine - If He was it wouldn't do us much good because we would always get what we want and sometimes we need someone to say, “No!” If I always got what I wanted, I would be in a lot of trouble.

2. God knows everything that is going on and only He can deliver the perfect answer that fits all the needs - If we were the only people and this was the only time maybe we could figure it all out by our self, but sadly this is not the case and we live in a very complicated world far beyond our comprehension.

3. You can absolutely trust God – no matter what happens God is completely reliable. True, He is not always on your side but you can always be on His side. Line yourself up with His purposes and character and you will be in a position to be blessed by God.

4. We will get the best result in the end – God promises us that everything will work out for the best possible outcome if we are aligned with Him. Our problem is that we do not trust God to do things in His way but we want to do it all our way. Sometimes pain is necessary to get the desired result. Ask any Olympic athlete about their training schedule and they will gladly enlighten you on this point.

5. Trusting God is the point of the exercise – Things will work out in the end and we will have the best result we could ever imagine, but the important thing is for us to be aligned with our Heavenly Father. It’s not about getting what we want; it is about becoming what He wants.

As I lay in bed last night it hit me hard that I do not really believe what I am constantly saying to others about God. I only believe when my life is good and I do not have any challenges. I want to change that fact about myself. When my child has a disease or my job goes down the toilet or I cannot stop a relationship from failing – that is when I want to learn to trust God; that is real trust!

The magic formula is to trust God. He will never fail us.