Hope is a good thing. When we speak of hope our mind wraps around a virtue that stems from green goodness or a ray that streams from golden sunshine. Hope reflects gratitude and if left unfulfilled; no one gets hurt. Expectations, on the other hand, are another thing. These are thoughts that rise to the surface like a film coating everything, they leave a selfish, often bitter taste in one's mouth and requires a satisfactory resolve or everyone gets hurt. Now just to be clear, while both ideas convey a sense of waiting for a particular result, an expectation holds an assurance of completion while a hope holds a desire for such.
I often find, when counseling folks who are going through relational difficulties, that most of their problems stem from "expectations" that should be hopes" and "hopes" that would be better as "expectations." We tend to have hopes that we're unwilling to let go, so in time they become expectations. Likewise we discover our expectations, that seem so obvious, continue to go unmet so we dismiss them as hopes and put our energies elsewhere. Best thing to do when coming to this realization is to evaluate our hopes and expectations and perhaps re-categorize. But this isn't the point I'm trying to make but it is related, so it's thrown in at no extra charge... back to my point.
When we have expectations our ability to wait is strong while our desire to wait is weak. Likewise when it comes to hope our ability to wait is weak while the desire is strong. In other words, we act like our hopes should have the result of expectations and visa versa. Confused yet? Just try this test... What are you waiting for? A new car, a better job, a loved one to be healed from a terminal illness, your own miracle that only God can do? What is it? Now, honestly ask, do you expect or hope it to happen? Well, you could say one implies greater faith and if you believe as Jesus said, to have faith of a mustard seed... I can expect it to happen. Also, if I don't expect God to do X, Y or Z then I believe that God is limited in his power and I think less of God! Yes, you make a good point. BUT let's look at the familiar verse which tends to define faith... Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Interesting, it doesn't say "expect."
Yes, we can put God up to the big challenge and expect Him to come through, in our life and in the lives of others but wouldn't it be better to hope that God's will is the same as our expectations? We do not see the eternal picture. We have a limited view from the disadvantaged position of our humanness. Which, last time I checked, was still selfish and sinful. Yes, we can put the blame on God when things don't happen the way we want them to but perhaps it would be better for us to just change our view... maybe the one thing that changes everything is "perspective."
(to be continued)
