Expectations And Gratitude

I saw him with walking in the mall.
He was wearing a red shirt like the other employees.
When I first saw him, he was walking with another red shirted individual.
That person seemed to be his manager since he was giving him directions.

The red shirted individuals keep the mall clean.
They walk around day after day cleaning up everyone else’s messes.
They do their job without interacting with the shoppers.
They do their job around everyone else.

He was carrying a dustpan with a broom attached.
He didn’t miss a speck of paper or a collection of dust in any corner.
He made sure the trash cans were not overflowing.
He made sure there were no obstacles for anyone to trip on as they walked from place to place.

When I was a girl, my mother made it a point to talk to custodians and janitors.
She went out of her way to thank them.
I watched her.
She never missed an opportunity to engage with them in some way.

Back in those days, especially in the large city department stores, bathrooms had attendants.
They were women who wore white gloves and sat in upholstered chairs in the outer lounge.
They say when they were able to sit.
Mostly they were on their feet making sure the bathrooms were neat and clean.

I remember them wiping the excess water around the sinks after the women washed their hands.
I remember them replacing towels and tissues so they were readily available.
I remember my mother thanking them.
She always thanked them.

I asked her why she always thanked them and she smiled.
They are making everything nice for me and I want to make the day a little nicer for them.
Enough said.
That was the principle by which she lived her life; the same principle she instilled in me.

I saw this young man diligently cleaning as he went along.
I wondered how many hours he worked each week.
I wondered if he ever got tired of cleaning everyone else’s messes.
I wondered if he knew that he was appreciated.

I went into a card store and lost sight of him.
When I came out and was ready to turn a corner, I saw him.
He was standing with the dust pan and broom in his hand.
He was staring at a car.

Often the mall will have new cars in the center as an advertisement for some local dealer.
It was a white sports car that caught his eye.
I’m not a car connoisseur but if I were a young man, this car would have caught my eye.
I looked at his face as he looked at the car; it was obvious that he was dreaming.

He was dreaming about owning that car.
I am sure he saw himself sitting in the front seat.
I am sure he saw himself driving right out of the center of the mall and into the sunset.
I am sure he wondered if he ever could afford something like this.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

We all have dreams.
We all see our lives going a certain way.
When our life seems to veer off the path we think it should go, we get discouraged.
Often the detours are really roundabout ways to get us back on track.

It is said that a contented person is one who enjoys the scenery along the detours.
Often our life is redirected.
Sometimes, it is because of choices we have made.
Often, those detours are God-ordained.

We do not understand why we had to take a certain detour until we look back on the journey.
Often in looking back, it becomes clear.
This young man was at the beginning of his journey and he was dreaming.
I wonder how many of those dreams will come true exactly as he has planned.

We all have dreams for our lives but our Sovereign God can change them.
God does not owe us any explanations.
God knows what He is doing.
God’s ways are best.

We don’t always realize it at the time.
We argue with God in our hearts.
We feel cheated if things do not go exactly like we planned.
We complain that God doesn’t really care about us or else He would give us what we want.

We sound like a spoiled child.
We make demands on God who owes us nothing.
God owes us nothing yet gives us everything.
There is a Hebrew word for the defining characteristic of God in the Old Testament: hesed.

Hesed is when the One from whom we deserve nothing gives us everything. (Michael Card)
We do not deserve eternal life in heaven yet Jesus secured that by His death and resurrection.
We do not deserve the many blessings we receive each day yet God lavishes them on us.
We do not deserve even the next breath that we take yet God in His mercy gives it to us.

Hesed.
Yet we still complain.
We still look over our shoulder and compare our “undeserve-ables” with someone else’s.
And we never think twice about it.

We have a list of things that God must do for us.
We measure His love by our list and the speed with which He fulfills each request.
We make demands on a holy God and think we are justified in doing so.
We couldn’t be more wrong.

God lavishes His grace upon us.
Every good gift is from His hand.
He is not required to give us anything.
However, it delights Him to do so.

Maybe my mother was on to something.
Her continual thank you to those that others forget inspired me to do the same.
How much more should we be thanking God for the blessings He does not have to give?
How much more should we enjoy the scenery on the detours He sends us.

A young man looked at a white sports car and dreamed.
Every day I am given blessings too numerous to count.
So are you.
Have you thanked God today for the things He has given you that are undeserved?

In other words, have you thanked Him for everything?