I finally read it: Great
Expectations by Charles Dickens. Well, technically,
I didn't read it.
After restarting the book 4 or 5 times over the last 12 years, I received a
free credit on audio books; I downloaded the Victorian age classic and listened
while I read. *Spoiler Alert* It does not end the way you expected.
Dickens leads you on in the story of
hopes and dreams for a young boy named Pip. I hoped and expected Pip the
Pauper to fall in love with the girl, Pip to rise above his station, and to be
endowed with money. And, I thought, Miss Havisham would
orchestrate the whole thing. Well, Dickens misled me. He bait and
switched me, and he surprised me along the way.
That got me thinking about
expectations.
Expectations can be a good
thing. Expectations could mean we are hopeful for the future like
when we expect the birth of baby or graduation of a senior. Both events
come with lots of emotions of gain and loss, but they are overwhelmingly
positive milestones.
Expectations can also be a dangerous
thing. When you expect to win, but you lose. When you expect
someone to act in a certain way, but they fall short of your expectations.
From a priest's perspective some of
the most difficult expectations are those that are unspoken or assumed.
When you want or expect something from your priest that is unknown, unspoken,
or (forbid it) unreasonable, it leads to misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and
worst of all, anger. But this is true of all of our relationships.
God gives us a method for dealing
with these things. It's called communication. He communicates with
us through prayer, scripture reading, and through graceful acts for one
another. God models for us how to navigate our expectations of life with
the reality of life. When I don't get what I want, he helps me make peace
with it.
What do we expect? Let's keep
it simple. I try to align my expectations with God's commandment.
Love God with your heart, mind,
soul, and strength.
Love your neighbor as
yourself.
If you're living this way, then
you're living a faithful Christian life.
If you’re living this way, then you can expect
God’s peace.
SFW+
