Unrealized Expectations: A message for new missionaries
I love the story of Naaman found in 2 Kings chapter 5 of the Old Testament.
It is generally used as an example of how we often expect miracles to be grand like the parting of the Red Sea, because of this we often overlook the miracles that may come in more natural or simple ways.
Recently when I read this story again, I noticed that it also portrays well the negative effects of unrealized expectations in our lives.
Naaman was a captain for the Syrian army, and was described as “a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.” Fortunately for him, a young maid who had been carried captive out of Israel to be a servant for his wife offered him some advice “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! For he would recover him of his leprosy.”
After carefully considering this, Naaman “came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha”, the prophet with the request to be healed. Naaman was surprised and then offended when Elisha didn’t come out to meet him, but instead, sent a messenger out to instruct him to simply go wash in the River Jordan seven times and be healed. Naaman’s reaction is as follows:
In vs 11: But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12: Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
How often do we look forward to something in the future and envision it to be a certain way and then become disappointed by how things actually play out? This is a normal reaction, but do we sometimes act like Naaman? Do we refuse to enjoy or take advantage of the situation because we are too busy mourning the loss of something that was actually in our imagination?
At first, Naaman chose to go home and be angry rather than be healed! Thankfully, his servants persuaded him to try the advice of the prophet and as he did, his skin was made clean “like unto the flesh of a little child.”
So let's relate this story to you as you begin a mission or any new experience in life. Don’t waste your precious time trying to find the vision you created rather than seeking the one that God has in mind for you. He knows you and loves you so trust Him. Lean into your new experience with faith, and patiently allow yourself to learn and grow in ways that you never thought possible.
