Belonging (S2) : WK 4 - TUE
(Matthew 21:19) …and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.
Expectations are everything. Whenever you go into a situation, your expectations will determine whether or not that situation is positive or negative. If all goes according to your expectations, thumbs up! If not, your day has just been ruined. At least that’s the way it goes for me.
This happens to me in a couple of ways. Since I enjoy movies, I get a lot of reviews and opinions pop up on my feeds giving me someone else’s thoughts about whether a movie is good or not, or if it has some political or social agenda in its messaging. I have gone into several films with my popcorn and Milk Duds ready to be disappointed with the movie, and usually I find the opinions to have been a stretch at best.
A similar dynamic happens when I meet people for the first time. Someone finds out I am going to have a coffee appointment with a new person visiting the church and they may have some opinion on the person based on an interaction that may have happened years ago. Now I’m walking into the coffee shop ready to experience someone who, according to someone, may be problematic. And it’s usually not the case.
Jesus was hungry, saw a fig tree with great-looking leaves, and when he arrived was dissapointed. The leaves of the fig tree gave the impression that there was going to be good fruit. Jesus walked up to the tree expecting it to have delicious fruit. But Jesus’ expectations were not met since the tree was bare.
You and I walk around with the leaves of “Love Well” on us. It could be a hat, t-shirt, water bottle, or the knowledge that we are part of Crosswalk. That creates an expectation of who and how we are. When people meet us, do our actions disappoint in the light of what people expect “Love Well” to mean. I think about that a lot when I put on a shirt or hat that identifies me with Crosswalk. And I ask God to help me never fall short of the expectation to always love well.
Expectations are everything. Whenever you go into a situation, your expectations will determine whether or not that situation is positive or negative. If all goes according to your expectations, thumbs up! If not, your day has just been ruined. At least that’s the way it goes for me.
This happens to me in a couple of ways. Since I enjoy movies, I get a lot of reviews and opinions pop up on my feeds giving me someone else’s thoughts about whether a movie is good or not, or if it has some political or social agenda in its messaging. I have gone into several films with my popcorn and Milk Duds ready to be disappointed with the movie, and usually I find the opinions to have been a stretch at best.
A similar dynamic happens when I meet people for the first time. Someone finds out I am going to have a coffee appointment with a new person visiting the church and they may have some opinion on the person based on an interaction that may have happened years ago. Now I’m walking into the coffee shop ready to experience someone who, according to someone, may be problematic. And it’s usually not the case.
Jesus was hungry, saw a fig tree with great-looking leaves, and when he arrived was dissapointed. The leaves of the fig tree gave the impression that there was going to be good fruit. Jesus walked up to the tree expecting it to have delicious fruit. But Jesus’ expectations were not met since the tree was bare.
You and I walk around with the leaves of “Love Well” on us. It could be a hat, t-shirt, water bottle, or the knowledge that we are part of Crosswalk. That creates an expectation of who and how we are. When people meet us, do our actions disappoint in the light of what people expect “Love Well” to mean. I think about that a lot when I put on a shirt or hat that identifies me with Crosswalk. And I ask God to help me never fall short of the expectation to always love well.
- Have you ever been disappointed by a meal? What was that experience like?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how good are you at loving well? How can you improve your score?
- What would you like people to expect from you once they know you are a part of Crosswalk?
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