Once, while in Singapore, I was invited to visit Changi prison. I was most interested to do this, as an uncle of mine had been incarcerated there during World War 2. I was to speak briefly to the prisoners.
This proved to be a memorable experience. I can still picture the serious faces of those men as they tried to integrate the message of the gospel with the lives they lived. Many had become believers and were living lives of faith inside the jail.
Afterwards, I noticed on sale some handicrafts made by the inmates. I was drawn to a simple wooden plaque with some Chinese lettering on it that said, ‘Everything rises to meet your expectations.’
Today it is in a prominent place in my office. What it says is not automatically true. I would want to add the words, ‘In Christ. . .’ or, ‘by faith’. But even so it has a strong element of truth in it. Whether we set negative or positive expectations, what we anticipate is likely to happen.
If our lives are filled with doubts and fears, what we fear is likely to come upon us (Job 3:25).
Or. To quote an entirely different proverb, ‘Fortune favours the brave’. If our lives are filled with hope and vision, the things we hope for may well come to pass.
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.