Managed Expectations-A Poetic Note to Self...........

Hi all, I was thinking about the source of many of my fleshly moments, and was reminded of the many times I have been interrupted or otherwise "inconvenienced." I mean, there are times when I KNOW exactly what I want to get done, or exactly where I want to go, etc. Something seems to, fairly often, set my plans off track. Now I have responded to the offset differently at different times; and I've seen different outcomes based on those responses. Whenever I have responded from a perspective of "all time is a gift of God," I've really been able to find God's grace to serve at a moment's notice. It could be anything, couldn't it? I could be on the way to the front door to go check the mail, and the beautiful woman God gave me could stop me and ask me to run upstairs to get something for her or the baby. Who's need comes first? Does mine automatically come first because it was expressed first chronologically? That was an easy example I'm sure. Not like the times when you've planned a nice dinner date with your spouse and 10 minutes prior to leaving, the sitter cancelled. THAT, my friend, is a MAJOR infraction. How are we to respond when our plans don't come to fruition? What happens to our attitude when all that we've set as truth in our minds comes to naught due to a phone call? How attached to our plans and expectations are we anyway? Now, the grand question: what does GOD's Word say about all this? There will be a part II, but meanwhile I've written a poem as a note to myself about this.

Managed Expectations-Note to Self

You are what you call frustrated, but what the Bible calls angry,

Things didn't go the way you planned, so it's your selfishness mainly,

You had your entire day set, from waking moment down to the night,

But you encountered interruptions and to you, that just ain't right,

"I didn't get anything I wanted done!" You selfishly exclaim,

Do you remember, Mark 5, Jesus delayed giving life to sooth pain,

I'll bet the woman with the issue of blood would've probably been crushed,

If Jesus was so committed to His own plans just like us,

Her interruption, it seems, was a chance for the Lord to show mercy,

Our interruptions get the short end of the stick, "alright I'll help, but I'm in a hurry!"

Could it be that by thinking we can control our own days,

That the Lord allows setbacks to show us the evil in our ways?

As Christians, we are commanded to prefer one another over self,

And at times, that's a sacrifice which includes placing our own plans on the shelf,

If we live with the notion that my life is to be poured out as an offering of service,

The idea that "I might not be able to get to everything I wanted," wouldn't make us nervous

Now everybody suffers because of your "frustration," the cats. the kids, the spouse, the client,

And you say it's because there's not enough time in a day, an excuse the God of time's not buying,

There's plenty of time, we all have the same amount, but if your priority is your plan,

You will forever find that you seem to run short, because your life ain't in your hands.

If you belong to the Lord that is, you've been born again, there's something you musn't forget,

Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.