One of my favorite songs from Christine Dente's new album is "I Expect Great Things." It's of God that the great things are expected.
Expectations are very powerful things. I've noticed that people usually get what they expect - whether it's great things of God or mistreatment at the hands of others, "bad breaks", etc.
If you're a Christian, you can be assured of two things:
1. That Love wins in the end. God is now and will be victorious in this epic romance.
2. No matter what happens, God will be victorious in your life. In other words, " In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"(Rom 8:28). Period.
You can safely expect great things of God.
So what can you expect from the people in your life? I think it's safe to say that you can expect them to be human - just like you. Sometimes they'll far exceed what you ever hoped and sometimes disappoint. Just like you do. Even (maybe especially) in our relationships we seem to get what we're looking for. I hate to refer to two songs in one post, but it fits so well that I'm compelled. In Sara Grove's song "Loving a Person" (just the way they are) she observes, "If we go looking for offense, we're going to find it. If we go looking for real love, we're going to find it."
Mercy and grace and redemption are all around us - in our circumstances, in our relationships, everywhere - if we only have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to embrace.
So, what do YOU expect?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Focus & Intensity Versus Passion & Joy
Yesterday I answered phones for a contest we are running at work: Smartphone Fridays. I have to admit that what I do for a living feels like play most of the time anyway, but yesterday I had even more fun than usual. We had a bank of phones set up in a large training room, and when the phone rang, I snatched it up and enthusiastically welcomed the caller to the Prize Line. Giving away prizes in incredibly rewarding!
Our prize line opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m.. One of my teammates commented that one of our other co-workers and I were just as excited at 7 p.m. (in spite of our fatigue) as we were when we began the day. And we were. Why? We were having fun. We were filled with joy.
I've already admitted that my work feels more like play. I would say that passion and joy characterize my attitude toward what I do every day. Interestingly, in the company I work for, the words "focus" and "intensity" are often used to describe the qualities desired. There may be times when you're doing something difficult or unpleasant when focus and intensity are the only things that will carry you through. There's a little something negative when you combine those two words in the context of work over the long haul, however. What I picture (and often see in various work groups) are grim faced people striving every day just to get through the day.
Passion and joy take you further - help you to not only do a task or job with excellence, but ensure that at the end of the day you're just as excited as you were at the beginning of it. I don't know about you, but that's how I want to live and work and love.
Our prize line opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m.. One of my teammates commented that one of our other co-workers and I were just as excited at 7 p.m. (in spite of our fatigue) as we were when we began the day. And we were. Why? We were having fun. We were filled with joy.
I've already admitted that my work feels more like play. I would say that passion and joy characterize my attitude toward what I do every day. Interestingly, in the company I work for, the words "focus" and "intensity" are often used to describe the qualities desired. There may be times when you're doing something difficult or unpleasant when focus and intensity are the only things that will carry you through. There's a little something negative when you combine those two words in the context of work over the long haul, however. What I picture (and often see in various work groups) are grim faced people striving every day just to get through the day.
Passion and joy take you further - help you to not only do a task or job with excellence, but ensure that at the end of the day you're just as excited as you were at the beginning of it. I don't know about you, but that's how I want to live and work and love.