Expectations

How high are your expectations? I have been wondering about a quote that I read some time ago. The quote went something like this... "Christians in general are far to easily pleased." The context had to do with our deep down core value of faith. Faith in what we believe God can accomplish through us or even just what God can do period! It has to do with setting our expectations of what God wants to do too low; With being more and more satisfied with the status quo: With being less and less concerned with risking for God or exchanging that heart of passionate calculated risk for passion for an increasingly comfortable way of living. It has to do with expecting Christ to change peoples hearts and lives when we pray for them; Rather than hoping our prayers get answered so we don't look to ridiculous in front of others. It has to do with being desperate and recognizing our pathetic nature and how we are to be pitied above the other creatures of God's creation.
I sometimes wonder at the western idea of what commitment means. It is a word that gets thrown around a fair bit in church circles. But what does it refer to? It may mean greater attendance at church functions more than it means stepping out and taking a risk of faith by being vulnerable and honest with fears and heaven forbid some honest tears. It may mean supporting financially or spending more time in prayer and word study to some. But what if all it means is that instead of endlessly studying or endlessly praying or endlessly attending meetings we actually step out and minister God's powerful love to lost, lonely and mostly unaccepted people in our communities?

I love this story. It sets my heart and imagination aflame. I like it but I hate it at the same time. I like it because it shows there could be so much more that I expect. I hate it because I know how many arrows I would have stuck in the ground? I will let the story do the rest so here it is.
"2 Kings 13:14-20 Elisha came down sick. It was the sickness of which he would soon die. Jehoash king of Israel paid him a visit. When he saw him he wept openly, crying, "My father, my father! Chariot and horsemen of Israel!" Elisha told him, "Go and get a bow and some arrows." The king brought him the bow and arrows. Then he told the king, "Put your hand on the bow." He put his hand on the bow. Then Elisha put his hand over the hand of the king. Elisha said, "Now open the east window." He opened it. Then he said, "Shoot!" And he shot. "The arrow of GOD's salvation!" exclaimed Elisha. "The arrow of deliverance from Aram! You will do battle against Aram until there's nothing left of it." "Now pick up the other arrows," said Elisha. He picked them up. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground." The king struck the ground three times and then quit. The Holy Man became angry with him: "Why didn't you hit the ground five or six times? Then you would beat Aram until he was finished. As it is, you'll defeat him three times only." Then Elisha died and they buried him.

The holy man became angry that the king had such low expectations of the "arrow of God's Salvation".

How many arrows would you have struck the ground with?