Thoughts
that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking
Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to
the audio file.
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"Expectation is the killer of faith in God and faith in our fellow man. Expectation is what sets us up for victim thinking. It ruins our ability to see God in our lives and to live our lives as God sees us. It kills our ability to believe in ourselves and the power of God that flows through us."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 92.
What was the last thing you expected to happen in your life and it failed to materialize? How did you feel when what you expected to happen didn't happen? I'll bet you felt something that ranged from mild irritation to outright indignation. Worse than anger or frustration, if what you expected to happen failed through the personal interaction of a relationship I'll bet that there was damage done to that relationship that might not be reversible.
Not only can failed expectations be damaging to our ability to find hope as a result of the things we do in this life. but expectations that fall short when it comes to relationships can make us leery of these important connections in our life. Damage to self and damage to relationships - that's the danger of living with the hopes that our expectations will come to pass all the time.
I came across this bible verse today that speaks about life and expectations in life. It says,
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28 (English Standard Version)
There are two types of people in this verse, the righteous and the wicked. Both are looking for something in life. In other words there is something that is missing in the lives of both the righteous and the wicked. For the righteous the thing they are waiting on is called "hope". For the wicked it is called an "expectation." Interesting use of words.
As I took a few minutes to study the original use of the words hope and expectation I kind of expected there would be a very profound difference in the two words that easily proves my point that expectation is a killer of faith to those of us trying to live this life of a victor. Guess what? That difference I expected just wasn't as pronounced as I hoped it would be. That's disappointing! There is, however, a difference that I think helps make my point.
Basically the root word for hope speaks of a waiting for something in a way that seemed to me to be more open to what might happen. The root word for expectation in the second half of the verse speaks of strength. In fact the root word has a lot to do with a cord wound together to form something strong.
I think that's the difference we need to focus on as part of this discussion. The expectation or hope that the righteous has is something that is held loosely. When and how that hope comes to fruition is something the righteous can't control. They are open to the possibility that that hope will happen as God directs. The expectation of the wicked comes from a place of strength. It is a chord that can't easily be broken. As a result, that chord is used to hold up vast segments of the wicked's life. Should that chord be broken (the expectation not be met) the life of the wicked is harmed, even mortally at times.
In the vernacular of this discussion, the righteous are those seeking to live the life of a victor while the wicked are those stuck in victim thinking. The victor has expectations that can be described as hopes. They hold their expectations loosely, allowing God to be the fulfillment of their hope as He directs. This is a place where joy can be had even when what is execrated doesn't happen when the victor wants or in the manner they had in mind. The failure for the expectations of the victim thinker tears apart the foundational support structures of their lives. This can cause a loss in their lives so severe that it can be akin to death itself. Same basic word, expectation, with two very different outcomes when not met.
So, what's a person to do? A friend of mine attended a Christian camp in Northern CA with his daughters. At that camp the counselers told the parents something that, I think, really brings home the difference in living and dying when it comes to expectation. They said; "Be expectant but don't have any expectations."
Be expectant. Have hope that is loosely held out for God to meet how and when He intends. Fight the urge to turn that attitude of being expectant into an action of expectation. In other words, don't let your mind paint a picture of what the thing you are being expectant for has to look like for you to believe that that expectation has been met. It is when we assume how what we are expectant for is to happen that we cross the line from joy to death.
It is my desire that today you will be filled with the hope of being expectant. I pray that you don't turn those expectant feelings into expectations that, if not met, can rob you of the joy God wants you to have in your life. Being expectant is what brings a sweetness to life that sometimes is so hard to maintain. It is when we allow expectation to enter the picture that faith in ourselves, faith in our fellow man and faith in God can be so severely challenged. Don't let the joy slip out of your life today. Be expectant but don't have any expectations. Then your status as a victor won't be put into question when circumstances don't materialize in ways that make expectations kill our faith.
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"Expectation is the killer of faith in God and faith in our fellow man. Expectation is what sets us up for victim thinking. It ruins our ability to see God in our lives and to live our lives as God sees us. It kills our ability to believe in ourselves and the power of God that flows through us."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 92.
What was the last thing you expected to happen in your life and it failed to materialize? How did you feel when what you expected to happen didn't happen? I'll bet you felt something that ranged from mild irritation to outright indignation. Worse than anger or frustration, if what you expected to happen failed through the personal interaction of a relationship I'll bet that there was damage done to that relationship that might not be reversible.
Not only can failed expectations be damaging to our ability to find hope as a result of the things we do in this life. but expectations that fall short when it comes to relationships can make us leery of these important connections in our life. Damage to self and damage to relationships - that's the danger of living with the hopes that our expectations will come to pass all the time.
I came across this bible verse today that speaks about life and expectations in life. It says,
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28 (English Standard Version)
There are two types of people in this verse, the righteous and the wicked. Both are looking for something in life. In other words there is something that is missing in the lives of both the righteous and the wicked. For the righteous the thing they are waiting on is called "hope". For the wicked it is called an "expectation." Interesting use of words.
As I took a few minutes to study the original use of the words hope and expectation I kind of expected there would be a very profound difference in the two words that easily proves my point that expectation is a killer of faith to those of us trying to live this life of a victor. Guess what? That difference I expected just wasn't as pronounced as I hoped it would be. That's disappointing! There is, however, a difference that I think helps make my point.
Basically the root word for hope speaks of a waiting for something in a way that seemed to me to be more open to what might happen. The root word for expectation in the second half of the verse speaks of strength. In fact the root word has a lot to do with a cord wound together to form something strong.
I think that's the difference we need to focus on as part of this discussion. The expectation or hope that the righteous has is something that is held loosely. When and how that hope comes to fruition is something the righteous can't control. They are open to the possibility that that hope will happen as God directs. The expectation of the wicked comes from a place of strength. It is a chord that can't easily be broken. As a result, that chord is used to hold up vast segments of the wicked's life. Should that chord be broken (the expectation not be met) the life of the wicked is harmed, even mortally at times.
In the vernacular of this discussion, the righteous are those seeking to live the life of a victor while the wicked are those stuck in victim thinking. The victor has expectations that can be described as hopes. They hold their expectations loosely, allowing God to be the fulfillment of their hope as He directs. This is a place where joy can be had even when what is execrated doesn't happen when the victor wants or in the manner they had in mind. The failure for the expectations of the victim thinker tears apart the foundational support structures of their lives. This can cause a loss in their lives so severe that it can be akin to death itself. Same basic word, expectation, with two very different outcomes when not met.
So, what's a person to do? A friend of mine attended a Christian camp in Northern CA with his daughters. At that camp the counselers told the parents something that, I think, really brings home the difference in living and dying when it comes to expectation. They said; "Be expectant but don't have any expectations."
Be expectant. Have hope that is loosely held out for God to meet how and when He intends. Fight the urge to turn that attitude of being expectant into an action of expectation. In other words, don't let your mind paint a picture of what the thing you are being expectant for has to look like for you to believe that that expectation has been met. It is when we assume how what we are expectant for is to happen that we cross the line from joy to death.
It is my desire that today you will be filled with the hope of being expectant. I pray that you don't turn those expectant feelings into expectations that, if not met, can rob you of the joy God wants you to have in your life. Being expectant is what brings a sweetness to life that sometimes is so hard to maintain. It is when we allow expectation to enter the picture that faith in ourselves, faith in our fellow man and faith in God can be so severely challenged. Don't let the joy slip out of your life today. Be expectant but don't have any expectations. Then your status as a victor won't be put into question when circumstances don't materialize in ways that make expectations kill our faith.
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