Expectation

We are always harking back to some occasion which seemed to us to reach perfection, setting that up as a norm, and depreciating all other occasions by comparison. But these other occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own blessing, if only we would lay ourselves open to it. God shows us a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we're still looking for the old one.

Letters to Malcolm, C.S. Lewis

As you read through this, does it feel like Lewis is writing a letter to you? You aren't alone. It is so true, and as I read it, I recognize how often I do that without a second thought. We place our expectations in this world unreasonably high, setting ourselves up for disappointment. We forget that we are living in a fallen world full of imperfect people who tend to forget about you, fail to keep promises, and unintentionally hurt others. We expect that if something previously turned out perfectly, every other occasion is going to follow suit. In holding all those expectations, we neglect to notice the blessing that is right in front of our eyes.

We all know better than to believe that everything is going to go our way. Yet we still do. Somewhere along the way we adopted an entitlement facade, believing that we deserve this or that. Then our expectations sit on that high shelf that is hard to reach. 

When I catch myself setting expectations or telling myself that I deserve "something", I hear Shakespeare's wise words in my head, "Expectation is the root of all heartache". And instead of holding expectations for people, I shift my expectation to the One that I can trust no matter the circumstance. As Paul writes in Philippians 1.20:

...as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.