I told you expectations were dangerous! Ha! Isn't that the truth, though? We are spoiled in this way: we expect to get what we pay for; we expect to have things work a certain, normal way. The danger is that people's lives are being ruined when things don't follow the path of the expected. We get upset, frustrated. We draw conclusions about who we are, who others are, and finally, who God is, based on how circumstances go for us. Oh, what dangerous conclusions. I have seen way too many people turn sour and jaded towards God and His people. How can we protect ourselves and each other from such catastrophies? Maybe the answer also lies in expectations! We can expect to lose sometimes! We shouldn't be afraid to lose. Losing shouldn't define us as losers. Even winners lose. It's a part of the game, right? Someone has to lose. Loss should not make God out to be weak or unloving or uninvolved in our lives or unsupportive of us or whatever other conclusions the devil tempts us to make.
So maybe if we simply expect "life" to happen, we will be better prepared to handle the horrible tragedies that seem to randomly strike the earth's people. Everything from getting ripped off by a corrupt government to losing a child. Absolutely horrible and maddening to think about, and I in no way am mocking the reality of the pain associated with these nightmares. But I want us to encourage each other through them, all the while echoing the truths that remain solid as the oak tree planted by the streams (Ps. 1:3).
There will be things that happen that make no sense. They aren't fair. They aren't normal. I hope we can better shrug them off, and say, "Oh, well...we'll live to fight another day", breathe out a long sigh, pick ourselves up by the nape of the neck, knock the dust off our pants, wipe the blood from our lips, and know that we'll be right back in the arena of life. We are simply respecting the fact that loss happens and that it doesn't necessarily mean anything. May we help each other to raise our tear stained, dirty faces, and turn to face the Lord. And may the warmth and comfort of His light reaffirm His unending love for us.
