By: Denny

Charles Dickens wrote a novel entitled Great Expectations. It was a required reading assignment by my 9th grade English Literature teacher. All I can remember was that it was  about an orphan boy named Pip and an old lady named Ms. Havisham. I found it to be rather boring at the time. Thus ends my book review, which is probably why I got a D, and has little to do with this writing other than I needed a fitting title.

My parents were married in 1950. My mom was attending Coe College in Cedar Rapids, and my dad was working at Dows Dairy Farm. They were introduced by mutual friends. I’m sure they were no different than every young couple who had great expectations for their future. They had a very humble beginning, and lived in a big wooden silo on the dairy farm which had been converted into a house. They left there and moved to town as one by one us kids came along. First my brother Steve, then me, followed by Kathy, Sheila, Wendy, and much later Brian. Dad drove a taxicab and sold Fuller Brush for a short time then got a job as a truck driver which became a lifelong career. Mom never got her nursing degree, and stayed home with us kids. They no doubt endured many trials and unexpected setbacks, but they worked hard to see their expectations become a reality. They never tried to micromanage any of us kids in directing the paths we would take in life. However, they raised us with Godly values, taught us to be respectful and hardworking, so that we could be independent, responsible, functioning adults. I think for the most part we’ve lived up to many of their expectations. It’s impossible to meet and fulfill 100% of the expectations others desire for us or those we place on ourselves. We all fall short, no matter how hard we try, because that’s just the way life is.

It has been jokingly said that there are two things certain in life: death, and taxes. Taxes always seem to increase, and death is one of the many things that interrupt our expectations. You’ve no doubt heard the expression, “they died unexpectedly”, which is rarely used in referring to someone approaching the age of 100. If asked, they would probably say they never expected to live that long. However, when a child, teenager, or young adult dies, it crushes all expectations they and others had for them. Death is the ultimate destroyer of expectations, but there are those everyday life happenings that also interfere with them. Who expects to get sick, have an accident, lose your job, have your home destroyed by a natural disaster, be the victim of theft or other crime. What about that major appliance that suddenly needs to be replaced. Your car breaks down and it costs more than you expected to get it fixed. Your groceries, utilities, insurance premiums, and other bills are increasing more than you expected. You plan to go camping or to the beach and it rains unexpectedly. Not all the unexpected things that happen to us are bad or negative. Who doesn’t get excited about a sudden bonus, promotion, or raise. Your tax refund is more than you expected or that you’re even getting one. A friend calls just to say hi and see how you’re doing. A young couple discovers they are expecting their first child. The tests from the doctor come back negative, you passed your college finals, a check comes in the mail, or you win the lottery. A good neighbor mows your grass or shovels your snow. Sometimes it’s just an unexpected smile and a kind word from a stranger that brightens our day.

If you take the time to ponder it, you’ll realize that even the routines of our daily lives are interwoven expectations, that we often take for granted. You expect the alarm clock will wake you up. You expect the lights to come on when you flip the switch and water to come out of the faucet. You get the kids ready for school and yourself ready for work, and expect the car will start so neither of you are late. You expect everyone will return home safely, and there will be food on the table for supper. You expect the kids will do their homework and cheerfully go to bed without grumbling at the right time and without being told to. If you think that’s going to happen, then you also probably expect the dishes and laundry to do themselves. Maybe in your dreams! I wonder how much time and effort we spend trying to make unrealistic expectations become a reality which often consumes us or leaves us frustrated, confused, or angry, when they don’t happen.

While you’re pondering, answer this question: What do you want or expect out of life? Fame, fortune, recognition, great possessions, a fancy home with all the furnishings, money, a diverse portfolio to fund your retirement so you can do and buy whatever and go wherever you want to. What legacy will you leave when death separates you from your loved ones and your great expectations? Jesus soberly puts all of life in perspective with this one statement. Mark 8:36 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” He quickly shifts the focus from this temporal life and all its pursuits to life after death, putting emphasis on the eternal soul which we all have. The question now changes to: What do you expect after death? We marvel if someone lives to be 100 plus years, but that is a millisecond compared to eternity. Eternity is forever, not measured in increments of time. It is a perpetual state of being. Will you spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus or an unexpected eternity in hell? If your answer is Heaven, then how do you expect to get there, and why should God let you in? As I mentioned earlier, it’s impossible to fulfill everyone’s expectations of us, and that includes those of God. We all fall short, as it says in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That verse alone levels the playing field for everyone. Maybe if you try really really hard to be a good person God will let you into his Heaven. Not going to happen! Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Since the gift is free, why are you still trying to earn it. All God expects is for you to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for you when he took your sins upon himself and died on the cross in your place. God has Great Expectations for your life. Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him (NKJ) Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Seize the moment now before death destroys what God has planned for you. When someone sends an invitation to a wedding, they often request an RSVP, so they know who is coming and how many to expect. Is that too much for God to ask or expect of you? Give Him your RSVP today by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. The new life He will give you far exceeds all your own great expectations.