Whose Expectations?

There are times when expectations can be a wonderful thing.  We all love overwhelming someone's expectations and going beyond what they thought was going to happen.  Going the extra mile to help a friend.  Taking the time to make something extra special for someone.  Even just showing up when they expected to be alone.

The other side of expectations is that they can be a miserable master.  Almost no where in life do we find a place where expectations are used as the basis of what gets done.  The weather isn't metered out on some complex algorithm based on what people expect.  Businesses cannot possibly meet everyone's expectations.  If a business runs a promotion to give something away, people expect that they should win.  So if they don't, the business should give more things away until they win.  Expectations keep moving forward.  It does not take long for something that was just what someone wanted to become far less than ideal because of changing expectations.

How do we deal with such changing expectations?  If what is perfect today will tomorrow be less than perfect, and next year be completely wrong, how do we make decisions?

A business that succeeds will not look to meet every expectation.  It will focus on providing it's service to the best of its ability.  The truth is, to succeed, it will miss some people's expectations.  Even Apple does not meet everyone's expectations.  Some expect that they should get a free or less expensive price because of buying a product right before the new version comes out.  Some expect that prices shouldn't be quite that high.  Apple ignores some potential customers because they understand that they cannot meet everyone's expectations.

As Christians, we may face the problem of expectations from time to time.  It hurts when we find that we have failed at meeting someone's expectations of us.  So, how do we look up as the title of the blog suggests?  Easy, we do just that.  We look for what God's expectations of us are.  I have not been placed on this earth to please everyone, but to please God.  The expectations of others should have an impact, but much more important are the expectations of the God who loved me, called me, saved me, and is preparing a place for me.

I hope your day is joyful in the service of the King today!