Expectations

Expectations.

MY expectations?  Expectations of parents, children, spouse, boss, co-workers, employees, colleagues, acquaintances, pastors, institutions, government, the church, God . . . or the most challenging of all, myself.  Do I have expectations for each of these individuals/groups/institutions?  YES, an even more for myself.

THEIR expectations (any and all of the above plus anyone else you can think of, e.g. other drivers on the road, store clerks) of ME.  Are these real or  imagined?  Do I satisfy any of these expectations?

Should I care?  Do I care?  How much do I care?  Does my caring (or not) make any difference in the final analysis?  Does my caring about THEIR expectations affect my performance?  Unless I'm a complete sociopath, then YES it does affect my performance.

Does my caring about THEIR expectations affect my stress levels?  Do MY expectations affect my stress levels?  Again, unless I'm a sociopath, how could it not?

How then do I find balance among the ubiquitous expectations that surround me? that well up from within me?  that I feel press in upon me? with little hope that I can satisfy even a portion?

There is only one way, I go to the ROCK that is higher than I am.   Lord, from the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  (Psalm 61:2)  When I do this He lifts me out of the slimy  pit, out of the mud and mire; he sets my feet on a rock and gives me a firm place to stand (Psalm 40:2).  Hallelujah!  Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.  (Psalm 62:1-2)

3 Chairs and Granny's Angel

Years ago I heard a sermon preached by Bruce Wilkinson at a Promise Keepers conference for Pastors in Atlanta.  It was a powerful conference like all the Promise Keeper conferences were and this particular sermon has stuck in my head.  The gist of that sermon is that, represented by 3 chairs, are three generations.  Rev. Wilkinson was using the analogy to speak to the adage "familiarity breeds contempt."

• In the first chair sits the individual who has been saved out of a life of sin.  Their life has been changed due to the blood of Christ and they know that from which they have been delivered and are thankful.  Their life is focused on devotion and lived by faith.  
• In the second chair sits their children.  They have been raised in the church and have been sheltered from the worst effects of sin.  They have been provided Godly examples and given opportunities their parents never had to grow spiritually.  But, because of this they also don't value their faith to the same degree and their devotion is tempered by religiosity.  
• In the third chair sits their children.  They, for the most part see their Grandparents as restrictive, and the model their parent's have set in things of the faith is tempered by conformity and complacency.  There is a general antipathy toward devotion and a godly passion is largely unknown.

I don't believe this is a pattern which has to happen, although I've seen it happen.  But I do know that it should make us all stop and evaluate the depth of our devotion and passion for the things of God.  Nicole Mullen has a song: Granny's Angel which I think echoes the sentiment of not losing track of what the older generation has to pass on.  The chorus goes like this:

Cause you can't keep livin' on granny's Angel
See it's about time you get one of your own
I'm telling you can't keep livin' on granny's Angel
'Cause whatcha gonna do when granny's gone

Read more: Nicole C. Mullen - Granny's Angel Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

I believe this fits well into a discussion about Leadership because it is part of our responsibility to lead the next generation into their own personal, and meaningful, relationship with Jesus Christ, and that will start with how we live our lives as role models.

Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Insanity is living anywhere the temperature drops to below 0 and stays there for days in a row.

Insanity is taking three or more young children grocery shopping . . . by yourself.

Insanity is expecting the world to treat you by any definition of the word fair.

Insanity is expecting your plan to come off without a hitch.

Insanity is expecting your life to work out according to your plan.

Insanity is. . .

Day by day we live within the boundaries set by our fears, our hope, our experiences, our education, our resources, and our ability to connect with those around us.  Our complexity insures a certain amount of insanity in each of our lives, as well as the possibility for greatness.  Dare I risk being different, doing something different, thinking differently?  Can I stretch beyond my familiar rut to see a bigger world?  If so, where do I begin?

Like so many who seek enlightenment, do I delude myself with a close-mindedness which purports to be liberal and tolerant but is in reality condemning, narrow, and intolerant; or the pendulum swing to the right into legalism and spiritual elitism?  Have I accepted insanity as the norm?  Dare I risk being different, doing something different, thinking differently?  Can I stretch beyond my familiar rut to see a bigger world?  If so, where do I begin?

Those who hope in (rest in, wait upon) the Lord shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Soar/Run/Walk  but first, hope/rest/wait ON GOD.

Insanity is expecting the world/your life to make sense apart from God.

Sanity starts as we risk hoping, resting in, waiting on God.

Sanity starts with the seemingly insane proposition that God so loved us that he allowed his only Son to die in our place so that if we believe we might have eternal life.

Top new Leadership Books

Here is a list of new leadership books which you may find interesting:

  Low-Hanging Fruit: 77 Eye-Opening Ways to Improve Productivity and Profits by Jeremy Eden and Terri Long 
  A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger 
  Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well byDouglas Stone and Sheila Heen 
  Centered Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Clarity, and Impact by Joanna Barsh and Johanne Lavoie 
  The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas byAlan G Robinson and Dean M Schroeder 

I've not read these but this is a reputable site.  The original article can be found at Leading Blog