Managing Your Expectations

But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
Mark 4:8

God gives us laws to empower us to succeed in every aspect of life: career, education, marriage, finances, our walk with Him, etc. Laws are given so that we understand the cause-and-effect balance that exists in the universe God has created.

God does that so you won’t get disappointed with life. Disappointment is never based on what you find, but upon what you expect to find. And when you don’t get what you expect, you can become angry and upset. In some cases, you may even slump into depression. To succeed in life, you must properly manage your expectations. If your expectations are unrealistic, you will end up discouraged.

Mark 4 relates the famous parable of the sower. There are four types of soil. The farmer takes a big bag of seeds and goes out sowing them. The farmer intuitively understands that he is not going to get a full return on every seed he casts out.

The seed that falls on the wayside would be unproductive. The seed that falls on stony ground would eventually die out. The seed that falls on thorny ground would get choked in the thorns. Only the seed that falls on good ground would become fruitful, producing a thirtyfold, sixtyfold or a hundredfold harvest.

A farmer is always fully aware of the preexisting conditions of the soil he works on. He knows that only 25 percent of what he scatters would bring back a harvest. And even then, only a third of that 25 percent would give him the maximum hundredfold return. Being armed with that knowledge, the farmer wouldn’t be shocked, traumatized or shaken when some seeds don’t yield any crop. He manages his expectations well.

Similarly, you must be prepared to deal with the “inevitabilities” of life. You live in an imperfect, fallen world. There will be recession, unemployment, epidemics, disasters, tribulation and persecution. You will have enemies. Bad things do happen to good people. If you do get surprised when such inevitabilities happen, then you are really being naive, gullible and immature. The Bible calls you a “simpleton”!

Manage your expectations in every aspect of your life. Sometimes, you will find yourself bumped unto the wayside, stony ground or thorny ground. When that happens, don’t get distracted because you can be sure that the good ground is just around the corner to bring you a great harvest.

This is one of Pastor Kong daily message. Please visit: http://www.konghee.com/www/index.php for more information. A solid link not to be missed.

Meiyan.