The story...
They asked me to participate in a group activity that was new to me - there was nothing particularly challenging or demanding on my part. They didn't say what we'd actually be doing - they just said "give it a try, come along, it'll be fun." How would it go? I was a bit uneasy with the unknowns - there was no particular cause that I could put my finger on. Maybe my discomfort came from my not knowing what to expect or subliminal fears of failure, rejection, or disrespect.
Who taught me to set expectations for future events and to evaluate them regarding how they either met or didn't meet my expectations? Actually, a wise mentor helped me develop a practice of evaluating business' activities or projects - was it better, the same, or worse than I expected and why?
"What if they treat me bad, what will I do?" may be substituted with "Even if they treat me bad, I'll be okay and true to who I am." Setting "bad" expectations is different than expecting little and appreciating the good that's actually experienced - the former seems foolish and the later seems wiser.
The only church in town will offer opportunities to engage in the lives of other people within the Body of Christ and the community at large too. There the light of God's word can be learned - it shines on our hearts and activities to better see "what's going on." What's going on includes sowing and reaping the good fruit of life.
Just for today...
"I will not expect too much; this will shield me from being annoyed at little things that don't go just the way I wanted them to." One Day at a Time (p. 244)
"'Perhaps you could try believing that I believe,' I decided to to lean on _____ until I could develop some of my own." Hope for Today (p. 244)
"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves and not to twist them to fit our own image." No man is an Island, Thomas Merton
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