What Do You Expect?

After going through a particularly rough patch at work recently, I began musing what if anything I might be doing to contribute to my difficulties. The more I thought about it, the more I asked myself, “What exactly was I expecting at my job day by day?” Were my expectations positive and beneficial to my experience or were my expectations negative or fearful, leading to predictable trouble? The answer to those questions are the answers to your own life questions. What do you expect?

Similar to the old riddle, the chicken and the egg, comes a new riddle. Do your expectations and beliefs produce the reality you are experiencing or does the reality you are experiencing produce your expectations and beliefs? And although they would be reticent to admit it,  I think most folks believe the latter. In other words, if things are going badly for them or if they’re experiencing difficulty and trouble, how would they be able to not expect more of the same? If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck… Or, is it? What if your present reality is based upon your most recent, predominant, expectations? What if you are contributing to your own misery by the power of your own negative expectations? I’m guessing no-one would expect negative results if they realized the impact it had on their reality? Well, what do you expect?

It is infinitely easier to think that our lives are playing out in some grand drama whereby things are hurled at us unannounced and without rhyme or reason. However, on the surface alone this should show itself untrue. Does it really seem plausible that God is in the heavens passing out blessings and cursings at random to test and try or bless and benefit His creation? Would it be logical to assume that some people are highly favored and others are despised; some enjoy good things while others live in misery, all by chance or happenstance? Nay my friend, you know that isn’t true! What you think and believe forms the basis of what you expect and you get what you expect. Negativity, like positivity, is a persuasion coming from conclusions formed within yourself. The circumstances, good or bad, don’t decide your ultimate conclusions, you do!  When you live in negativity, always expecting things to go wrong or for difficulties to get worse, you have been persuaded thus and will continue along the same lines as long as you continue along the same lines! What do you expect?

All of us think we are mostly positive and would swear by it. But, the acid test is revealed by what you say out loud. Do you want to know what kind of things you are expecting to happen in your life? Well, just listen to the things you say to other people. When people ask how you are doing, what do you answer? Or, do you even give it any thought before you belt out the well rehearsed, “fine.” What things do you say to people over and over again about your life? Those things, said in jest or not, are what you expect for your life. What are you excited about happening in your life? If the answer is nothing, call me crazy, but I would say your expectation is negative! If you now, since reading that, are trying to confabulate some mundane realities into something more exciting, your expectation is probably negative. Do you expect negative results?

It may surprise you to know that expecting good things takes no more energy than expecting bad things. However, because we live in such a dreadfully negative world, we have become accustomed to getting negative results. When things are going well for us we engage in silly superstitions like knocking on wood to keep the good continuing. Or, we have been conditioned that as soon as we announce something positive is happening, watch out, evil is preparing to get us (Don’t jinx it, right?)! Our job therefore is to escape the madness and focus on the good instead! We have to learn how to refute the negativity we are bombarded with and see, by our own determination, good results before we see good results. We have to make ourselves picture a good result. God, how weird, right? Profound thought ~ if you cannot even see a picture of the things you want in your life, the chances of you getting those results are minute if not highly improbable! Please go back and read that sentence again! Because it is what you will expect!

I’m completely aware that not everyone living is dwelling amidst some grand disaster needing immediate rescue. I would guess most people aren’t. Yet, I would submit that most people are living a life less than the life they would like to live. We may fantasize about living by the ocean when we are by the ocean, but when the vacation is over we shuffle back to our routine. It’s like we are always waiting for the circumstances to reveal what we desire is coming pass, so that we can get onboard with it happening, when in reality the circumstances will only come to pass after we have gotten onboard with it happening. Truly a world of riddles! Humans have dreams even if they are only flashes into something sublime they would like for themselves. Pursue the flashes. Explore the revelation. Dare to see something different for yourself completely not based on your current experience or reality. I know it’s unclear! I know it’s only hazy and vague! That’s why you aren’t living it now! Sharpen the image. God has already promised to bless you. However, He needs your cooperation. Start looking for God’s blessings like you’d look for a missing piece of jewelry! (Like it’s already there – get it?) You’ll find what you expect to find.

By now you might say, what if I expect good things and nothing good happens? Well, you can always get back to expecting the worst and keep on navigating through the storms of life until you finally have had enough. Let today be the day you have had enough! All the good there is, is here waiting for you. Will you expect it?

Just some good thoughts