To CES All:
Many years ago, I saw a bumpersticker which read: "Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed." I must admit that I laughed out loud. Although the saying may be somewhat suspect, life really is about what we expect.
Not that we will or even should always get what we expect. Rather, what we expect will determine how we look at an action or experience. Over 17 years ago, I enlisted in the Army. I expected to be ordered around, insulted, cursed at, and generally reprimanded for feeling that I had a right to breathe. Guess what, I got just about what I expected; and because I expected it, I didn't come unglued at the seams when it happened. About 16 months ago, I reported to Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB and didn't know what to expect. If I had to venture a guess, I figured that fellow officers would greet me with a smile, shake my hand, and offer to carry my golf clubs up to my room for me (okay, the last one was a stretch). Instead, they made us line up at position of attention, bark out "Yes, Sir!" to everything, and do about facing movements 'til my calves hurt and eyes crisscrossed. Mind you, not knowing what to expect, I found myself saying, "What in the world did I get into?" The good news is-- it did get better, not that it was really all that bad to begin with.
Expectations can make us or break us. They can deteremine whether we will come through a tough time either bitter or better. Life, at its core is hard. Those who think that it's supposed to be easy lose out. If you expect things to be tough and rise to the challenge, then good things will find their way to you. Its about a servanthood mentality, complete with important practices such as discipline, respect, compassion, and hard work. Those who are building blessed families, careers, and lives become more concerned with their responsibilities than their rights. Those who consistently produce do so because they plowed and sowed in the Spring. They expected winter to come, and they were ready--with a Fall harvest. So, to correct my lead off phrase, "Blessed are they who inspect what they expect, for they shall not be disappointed.
Press on,
Ch Mac
Read Chaplain McCafferty's blog at http://cechaplain.blogspot.com
