An Inkling
The woman sat across the desk
from the pastor and said, “After three weeks of enjoying the church’s services,
prayer, fellowship, and counseling, I still feel a deep spiritual
yearning. So I’m going to sue your socks
off.”
Such is the picture in an old
cartoon I recently came across. It makes
a joke of unrealistic expectations. We
may as well laugh. For we inevitably
(and painfully!) bring unworkable expectations with us into every new
experience.
For example, check out
newlyweds. The proverbial “you know the
honeymoon is over” moment comes with the realization that one’s expectations
are out of synch with marital reality.
Gratefully such expectations can be revised. In fact, such revision is essential for the
marriage to prosper. And, of course,
it’s not just marriage. All of life’s
significant arenas engage us in a continual process of retooling our
expectations.
So it is with St. Giles. We laugh at the woman’s ludicrous
expectations. But what are yours? Are they laughable? Not to you.
You have reasons for your expectations.
One step toward making them realistic is to identify them, and the next
is to ponder on their origins. Whence
came your expectations? From previous
church experiences? From comparing St.
Giles with neighboring churches? From
your own needs that you hope St. Giles will meet? Yes, yes, and yes. Of such are the origins of our expectations.
And as for guides in their
revising, the most important is the Bible.
It describes God’s ways with his people, the very ways he works with
us. If we want realistic expectations of
St. Giles in specific and life in general, it is well to know what God is up
to!
Being a church with you is a
great adventure, and I thank God for your partnership – even if you are
thinking of suing!
Blessings,
Keith
