Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1208 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Managing Your Expectations – Ask Gramps

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1208 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but we will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

So the question for this week is:

“Hey Gramps, I realize that I am not perfect, but I do try to live according to God’s precepts found in His Word. I expected that life would become easier as I grow older and gained more wisdom. It seems at times, though, that life remains difficult in many areas.”

Managing Your Expectations

First of all, as with all situations in life, it is not as much as what happens to us, as to how we deal with those situations. It is about how you manage your expectations about what comes your way, whether it is good or not so good. Learning to be content in all situations will allow you to face life with confidence, knowing that God is in control.

The Apostle Paul learned to manage his expectations and to be content although life was not always easy. He wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

The Apostle Paul certainly didn’t live a carefree life all the time. He knew, though, that God’s light was shining through him. He describes going through times of being pressed on every side, perplexed, hunted down, knocked down…yet he knew that it was all for a greater good. Most of us who knows God’s Word consider Paul to have been a strong Christian, so why did he continue to suffer?  Certainly, as mentioned above, there were good times, but also bad times.  We as Christ-followers are not necessarily exempt.

Despite experiencing a great deal of suffering, Paul managed his life and expectations. He was not driven to despair. He knew that God never abandoned him. He was not destroyed. He knew that he shared in the life of the risen Christ, and that made it all worthwhile.

Paul doesn’t downplay or deny suffering in the least, but he knows that suffering does not have the final word, God does. Without our suffering, we would not fully appreciate God’s great salvation. It would be more difficult to trust in God because we would be trusting in self. So while the difficult times hurt, they are not without meaning.

When you know that God is absolutely wise, faithful, and loving, you know that you are loved unconditionally as you continue to trust Him. God has already allocated everything you need for life and godliness. Ask Him to pour His grace into you in abundance.  Let me read the Apostle Paul’s narrative in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.  So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.  All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 

What attitudes do you bring to your present problems? How do you manage your expectations? Do you see difficult times as cruel, random, and meaningless? Instead of that, do you see them as an opportunity to persevere, overcome, and become more like Jesus by God’s unlimited grace?

I hope these tips will help you have a Biblical worldview and mindset about life, especially when times seem difficult.

So as we finish with our question for today, let me leave you with this thought. Suffering is normal and to be expected. Overcoming suffering by God’s grace is normal also, and to be expected by every Christian, including you.

That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday, where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1207 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!