Expectations and faith

This past week I have been thinking a lot about the idea of expectations, which we looked at last Sunday, particularly as it pertains to God. I couldn't help but think about the topic when the song "One of Us" came on while I was driving.

Originally performed by Joan Osborne, "One of Us" always bothered me. Actually, at times, I loathed the song. Recently it was covered by the cast of "Glee," and included on their latest anthology, which is why it came on in the car as I was driving. Instead of hitting fast forward — which was my initial thought — I decided to listen to the words. A funny thing happened, I kind of agreed with some of the ideas.

I still don't really like the song, and I think the chorus is a dumb idea, but there are things in there that I think resonate with ideas seekers have when they are first considering faith. It is about those baby steps you take toward faith when you come from a certain perspective. I realized what bothered me wasn't the content so much as the way the writer viewed God, which is radically different from my view.

I grew up in a very conservative tradition and, though I don't like to admit this, I probably have a very high view of God. That in itself isn't bad or good, it just provides context for my worldview. As much as I feel like I've tried to open myself up and to appreciate other viewpoints, my core beliefs still shape my reactions at a basic level. I think that's true of all of us.

And that is why Christianity remains so divided. We should focus on what unites us and not what divides us, but we don't. I think our expectations play into that. Our mission, as followers of Jesus Christ, is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And in that, he asks us to spread the Gospel far and wide. Are we doing that?

My guess would be some are, but most of us get caught up in the little things along the way; the places where our expectation of God and our expectation of what it means to be a Christian cause division. I guess for many, including myself, there's more work left to be done.