EXPECTATIONS

What is it with people anyway? Why can't anyone these days let their yes be yes and their no be no? Have you ever had a run of disappointment in others; a run that just seems to keep going and going and going? That is what I have been dealing with lately, and at this point it doesn't look like it's gonna get any better in the near future.

 

For six weeks now I have been trying to get a service tech to come to my home and diagnose my brand new, top of the line electric dryer I bought from one of those huge box stores. It started making this grinding noise, so I called the manufacturer who put me in touch with a local company that does their warranty work. We make the appointment; I took half a day off from work to wait…and wait…and wait. Nobody showed up or even called until 2 days later to apologize for missing my appointment. So, being the good forgiving Christian man that I am, I accepted their apology and rescheduled. Guess what? OH!! You know? Hmm. You must have used the same company.

 

So I call the manufacturer again with my complaint, expressing my disappointment with restraint because I know the lady on the other end of the phone is not to blame for this. She sets me up with another company to come find the Gremlin in my 5 star dryer that was rated as the best dryer on the market by Consumer Reports and had nothing but rave reviews from all the customer ratings posted on the manufacturers web site (I thought that is why you spend the extra money on something so you don't have these problems). The second company felt so guilty for the problems I had with the first company that the lady on the phone apologized for them!! I thought that was odd, but, but let's move on. The second company was supposed to be here this afternoon between 1 and 5. I get a call from them this past Tuesday informing me they will not be able to keep the appointment for reasons they were unable to give me and wanted to reschedule for the following week, and the only time they can reschedule is not convenient for me. At this point I feel my blood pressure increasing as I resist the urge to reach through the phone and slap the person on the other end. Like a man with a gun to his head, I agree. Thinking to myself I will disarm my assailant and shoot them with the very gun they just had pointed at my head!!! I'm sure I could find Scriptural basis for these thoughts somewhere. We will leave this part of my story for right now because I want to re-direct.

 

I noticed five days ago my home A/C was not performing as it should, especially since the days have not yet been that hot, so I called a company I have used in the past & been satisfied with to come out this afternoon and take a look at it. After all, I thought I might kill two birds with one stone since I would be home this afternoon having my 5 star dryer Gremlin exorcised from the appliance, and have my A/C serviced in the same 1 – 5 window. This afternoon as I am relaxing on the couch watching a mindless show on The SYFI channel, I get a call from the lady I made the appointment with to get my A/C fixed and she tells me the tech will not be able to make it out today as planned and wants to reschedule for tomorrow morning. Hmm. I agree very quickly to this not wanting to lose the only opportunity she is offering before the Texas heat gets too bad, and hang up. I explain to my wife who just arrived home from work, and she responds with, “Whatever happened to good dependable service?” I very good question indeed.

 

To get back to the 5 star appliance saga; I called the manufacturer this morning and expressed as clearly and unapologetically as I could my total and complete dissatisfaction with their first two offerings. The very apologetic lady on the other end of my phone line gives me the phone number to a 3rd company, which happens to be about 60 miles away from where I live and suggests I give them a call. So I call, and make the appointment for a time convenient for me. I am oh so eager to see how this one is gonna work out. And people ask me why I am so cynical of folks, the things they say, and the things they build. But wait, there's more.

 

For longer than should be, the church I attend has been having, shall we say, problems with the leadership. Perhaps I should say this also includes the extended leadership. It's gotten really bad. Families have left, tithes are being withheld (which I do not endorse or recommend), programs are being cut or eliminated and staff has been laid off. Without going into detail, I will simply say expectations were not met. I was invited to attend a meeting a few evenings ago at my church as a witness only to a Q&A session between members and deacon leadership. At first I refused, but the Holy Spirit would not leave me alone about it, so I reluctantly agreed a few hours later to go. This meeting went on for several hours. What became very apparent to me within the first hour is that probably the biggest problem that exists is there is no unity or love within the leadership. I witnessed finger-pointing and blame being cast about freely between deacons. I am an ordained deacon myself, though I have not been allowed to serve at this church in this capacity because I am divorced and remarried (I was ordained at another church many years ago with a man that was at that time divorced and remarried, so go figure). It broke my heart to see such un-Christ like behavior from what are supposed to be spiritually mature men. I left the meeting that evening feeling very badly for the church as a whole, and understanding a little more why the church is so divided. You see, if the church leadership is divided, you can only expect the rest of the church to follow as well. The outcome of all this will not be pleasant for anyone, and shows no sign of being resolved soon.

 

I learned a long time ago not to put too much trust in people because they will at some point always disappoint you. Sometimes the disappointment is small, but it is disappointment just the same. When I learned this valuable lesson, I also learned at the same time that God is the only person I can put all my trust in and that He will never disappointment me. Oh sure there have been times I had prayed and wished for a different outcome to a situation, but when I don't get my way, I know that God always has something better in mind for me; His very best! I have learned over the years that God's very best for me is far better than anything I can ever hope for apart from Him. The thing I have to remember also is I have to stay out of the way when God is trying to do a work in my life and I want to help him. If the tech ever shows up to fix my 5 star dryer, will I do more good or harm by trying to help him? You see, he is the expert and knows how to fix what is wrong. All I should have to do is tell him what my problem is and then turn it over to him. What about my air conditioner? Well, it's the same principle; I can tell the tech what is wrong, but I have to stay out of the way while he fixes it. And in both instances, these small, inconvenient problems I have will be fixed on the according to the techs timetable more than mine.

 

As far as my church is concerned, I am going to stick it out there because I have not heard God tell me to go to another church (even though I wish He would at this point). I believe He still has work for me and my wife to do there. We encourage each other by reminding each other that Jesus is the Head of the church, not any one man or group of men, that he loves His church, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”. Romans 8:28 Emphasis added is mine.

 

I hope these things I have shared with you encourage you this summer and beyond. I hope you are encouraged not to put too much trust in a person, or the things that are manmade. Someday, and I believe soon and very soon, we will leave this planet to inhabit a city that was not built by the hands of man. We will be perfect as He is perfect, and know things as He knows things.