Doggie Days and Unmet Expectations
With the spring weather finally emerging here in Wales, Jason purchased and set up a two-seater swing for me to enjoy. I love spending time outdoors and curling up in a comfy place to read or write. After he set it up, Tess and I spent much of the day snuggled together in the plush swing. To say she was as excited about it as I would be an understatement. She loved it so much that she went outside by herself after lunch. When several minutes had passed, and she hadn’t returned, I went to check on her. Guess where she was. That rotten little thing was stretched out on the swing, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. In her mind, she had a new outside bed. After enjoying more time outside as a family that evening, Jason and I removed the cushions from the swing and brought them inside to keep them dry during the next few days of rain.
The next day was a typical Welsh day—wet and windy. On days like that, Tess needs extra persuasion to go outside and take care of her potty needs. So, I watched and waited for a break in the weather, then ushered her out to take care of business. When she rounded the corner to the side yard, she spotted the swing, and her ears perked up. She reacted as if she had been reunited with a long-lost friend. She immediately ran up to the swing and jumped into its embrace as she had done so many times the day before. What she failed to realize was that not only had Jason and I removed the cushions, making the embrace of the swing far less cozy, but the rain had caused a large puddle to form in the center of the swing. In what seemed like a single movement, she bounded into the swing, jumped out, and shook vigorously to remove the water from her coat. Then she looked at me with the most pitiful eyes as if to say, “That was not what I was expecting.”
Oh, girl, I know exactly what you mean. I think we all do. When we get ready to leave for work only to discover we have a flat tire. When we wake up in the morning expecting to have a full day to accomplish things only to realize we have a migraine. When we plan for a picnic and face a hurricane. When we figure out how to make everything fit into a single day, then have something come up and throw everything into chaos again. When we think we have it all together, but situation after situation reminds us that we don’t.
Unmet expectations can be devastating and leave us feeling more than wet and afraid. They can leave us feeling frustrated and hopeless. They can, in fact, make us afraid to hope. We question our purpose. We lament our plight. And we can’t help but wonder who pulled the cushion out from under us without letting us know what to expect. It seems unfair, cruel even. And, like Tess, we don’t see the purpose of the change. Jason and I removed the cushions so they wouldn’t get wet, and when the weather cleared, we could enjoy the swing again. There was no evil plan behind our actions. We weren’t out to get our little pup. We didn’t have any idea how she would react the next morning. We were looking out for her good, ensuring the swing would be ready for her enjoyment (and mine) when the weather was more agreeable.
Tess didn’t get that, much like we don’t get it when the Lord moves in ways we don’t expect. To us, His ways seem against us. We wonder why He doesn’t want us to enjoy good health, less stress, or a pleasant day. So, like Tess, all we know to do is look to our Master with sadness and say, “Well, Lord, that wasn’t what I was expecting.”
This is an area I struggle with daily, but over the past few years, the Lord has taught me a lot. He has proven to me that He always has my back and is working all things for my good. No, I can’t make sense of everything. And yes, I still deal with unmet expectations. But the Lord is teaching me to accept them with more grace and less frustration. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is necessary. Left unchallenged, unmet expectations can lead to anger, bitterness, resentment, and much more. They can eat us up from the inside out. They can sour our attitudes and make it to where we don’t even enjoy the good days anymore or recognize the days without trouble.
Tess was quite surprised when she jumped into that puddle-laden swing, but it taught her a valuable lesson to look before she leaps. Unmet expectations provide an opportunity for us to learn and also to draw closer to our Master. They’re not always pleasant, but they do always have a purpose.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all. - Psalm 34:19