What is this?

I gave an assignment out the other day. It was pretty simple and direct. It should have taken about 3 - 4 hours to complete and we'd have an automated monitoring report. I wasn't looking for bells and whistles. I just needed a daily report with the facts.

Towards the end of the day I realized that I still had not received the results. So I walk over to check on how things were going. What a surprise! There were three people around a desk in deep discussion. Now I'm really curious as to what is going on. What I find is that the report is still not done and it's now being coded with automated notification by email and some other 'cool' things. And oh by the way, we added some other things that would be nice to have too.

You can imagine my dismay. What I wanted was a very quick way to get to a specific set of facts that could be used in gauging the health of our new system. What I was going to get was this report with some fancy wrapping paper and sparkling bows. By the way, when I did get it, some of the important facts were missed. Too much time was spent on how 'cool' the technology was and I needed the facts which were totally missed.

When I began to question the developer, I found that his intentions were in the right place. But he wanted something that had "his name on it" to have the latest and greatest techniques. He wanted to make sure that his peers knew, when they would maintain the program, that he used the newest technologies available to him. Bottom line, his pride got in the way of getting the job done and producing the exact results that I was looking for.

As I sit here this morning thinking about this, my mind ponders the similarities between work and the kingdom of God. God has spoken to my heart. I know what he wants. So I go off and begin to do those things. But I don't see the results that I am sure God showed to me. I'm even frustrated because I am getting some results but nothing like the vision God gave to me.

So I wonder. Have I done exactly what God has asked of me? Have I done it the way he told me to? Or, have I in my pride, tried to make the assignment cooler than what it truly is because of what my peers will think or say? Is God looking down on this work and asking "What is this?" Is God wondering what in the world is taking me so long to accomplish a simple assignment?

The passage in Matthew 7:21-23 comes to my mind. The Message version of the Bible says it like this, "Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here."

I am humbled again by the way God takes the simple things in my life and speaks directly to my heart. His word goes but right to the root of the issue, doesn't it?

Pride. It's a trait that you want to have. We should take pride in our work, our appearance, and our heritage. We should value who we are and what we have accomplished in life. But that proverbial fine line is there. Pride can become the biggest monster in our closet too. It can destroy who we are and turn us into ugly, self-centered people that no one wants to be around.

When it comes right down to it, God is really looking for simple obedience to his direction. He's not looking for us to embellish on his plan. He's looking for people who will just obey.

So I ponder these things. Is the reason for the lack of results because God doesn't recognize the program? Have I taken the direction of God and tried to embellish it to the point that God no longer recognizes it? Is God looking down on my work and asking "What is this?"

I'm Expecting!

I'm expecting! That's right. I'm expecting God to do great things! Now that you know what I'm expecting, let's ponder on it for just a moment.

The first definition of the verb expecting, according to Dictionary.com, means "to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of". I know some of you hit the down arrow to read this pondering because the first definition you thought of with that phrase was the fourth definition. "to anticipate the birth of (one's child)" LOL

The first Chiropractor that my husband and I visited in Illinois was Dr. Weide. He truly believed in expectations. When you lay down with your face to the ceiling in his examination room, you saw a sign taped to the ceiling that said "Expect a miracle." He firmly believed that this act of expecting was part of the healing process.

Expectations are set by what we hear or what we know about something. I've had my expectations exceeded many times and experienced bliss so yummy you could almost taste it. Reliving that experience brings a smile even today. On the flip side of this, I've had my expectations blown away in a shattering moment of disappointment so intense that tears flow freely and today to relive that moment puts a lump in my throat it's hard to swallow the feelings.

So why am I expecting God to do great things? Because I know Him. He is the Master Redeemer! He is the Great Physician! He is the God of second chances! He is the Restorer of our faith! He is Whatever!

Never in my life time have I been faced with people in my home, in my family, in my church, in my work place and community with such great and diverse needs. Our economy and our world is in such turmoil and unrest it is literally breeding an environment of need beyond anything I've ever seen.

And in this environment, God is the "I Am that I Am". In the language of today, God is Whatever. You basically get a blank check here. Honest! You get to fill it out! I am expecting God to meet the need.

Now before you get so excited, let me share one more very important thing. Let me set your expectations correctly so you clearly understand and you are not disappointed. God doesn't do things in the way that we would. It's true!! God does things in ways that we can't even imagine. So before you go replying to this little pondering message with all your notes about the many times you prayed and didn't get what you asked for, let's get something straight. God is your Father. He loves you more than life itself; literally! So sometimes the way he does things is to say no! And sometimes God's yes is so far out of our understanding that we miss his answer.

Let's review just a few examples:

• Abraham and Sarah had a baby at the age of 99/100. Sara laughed when she heard about it.
  
• Joseph was sold by his brothers, falsely accused by his employer's wife, jailed and forgotten by those he helped before he ever realized his dreams. Joseph's family hated him and laughed and pondered about his dreams.
  
• David, the shepherd boy, became King of Israel. No body would have believed it when the boy was brought to the prophet to be anointed.
  
• The widow and her son were saved because she agreed to cook for the prophet of God. Scandalous request by the prophet when he KNEW that the corn and oil she had was for the last cake of all before they were to die.
  
• Lepers found food and saved a whole city for siege by the enemy. How? Because this pack of pathetic, sick and crippled lepers sounded like a large reinforcement coming to attack them and the enemy fled in terror!

As you well know, I could go on and on because you have read the book too. What I will ask you today is this. Do you believe what it says? I know bold question, however, it's the right question. Do you really believe the word? Because if you do, then you're expecting too!! or you should be expecting!!

God's Word is true! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If:

• he could give a child to a couple that are past child bearing days,
  
• he can take a shepherd boy and make him into a king,
  
• he can take childhood dreams and bring them to fruition after great personal adversity,
  
• he can take a little oil and meal and sustain a family until the economy changes, and,
• he can take sick people and use them to overwhelm the odds and bring deliverance to an entire city

then I am expecting that God will meet the needs of all those in my world today. He is the same God. He has the same power. He says we have to ask, believing! Put that another way, He says we have to ask and expect! Expect that He will answer. Just remember that His way of answering is different that ours. So expect the unexpected! Believe the unbelievable!

My God cannot ignore the world where I am living at. There are so many opportunities for him to work in and through that he cannot NOT do something. But the key is, are we asking and expecting! He's right there waiting to be asked!

I'm expecting! I am looking forward to miracles, regarding things as likely to happen quickly, and I am anticipating the occurrence or the coming of God on the scene! My expectation is so intense that my heart is pounding in anticipation! I can hardly wait to see and experience the unbelievably unique solutions God will provide! What about you? Are you expecting?