If you travel long enough and drive far enough you’ll see them—what I’ve always heard called tourist traps. Maybe it’s a giant ball of yarn, a shoe house, or life-sized dinosaurs. And no matter what it is, the signs raise a certain level of expectation about what’s to come And if we are lured by their promise to leave the familiar road and wander some longer-than-expected way, we will find…well, probably a bit of disappointment. That’s probably similar to what Naaman must have felt when he came to Israel for healing.
Now Elisha was no roadside attraction. But the young Israelite girl’s advertising was what sent this war hero off on a long journey away from his familiar surroundings. And, based on his experience and the girl’s words, he had some expectations. “Look, I said to myself, he will come out. And he will stand and call on the name of the Holy One his God. And wave his hand toward the place. And take away the leprosy.” Naaman thought for sure he’d get to see a little magic act out of this prophet and healer.
But what he gets is not what he expected. Elisha tells him to simply go wash in the Jordan. “What,” Naaman thinks. The rivers at home are just as good as the rivers here. In fact, they’re better. I could have stayed at home if all I wanted to do was bathe in a river to get well. Why’d I come all this way anyhow?
Occasionally (okay, a lot), I’ve felt like Naaman. I feel God has led me to some particular place—a new city, a new job, even just a change in my routine—that I believe will allow me to serve God and grow as a person. But when I get there I find things aren’t as I expected. And I wonder why I couldn’t have stayed where I was. Wasn’t that city or job just as good as this one if not better? Maybe I should just go back home.
When travelling, it is often scary to go off the familiar road. To turn off and follow the direction to some roadside attraction is to trust that we can find our way to them without getting lost. And, to truly appreciate them, we have to give up on the expectations we’ve built up in our minds. Otherwise, as Naaman nearly did, we risk missing out on the wonder and surprise that awaits us.
I’ve lost count of the many times I’ve wanted to pack up and go home because the off-road God has led me upon doesn’t lead to where I expected it to lead. And I’ve begun to wonder, if, like Naaman, I could put my expectations aside I might find some miracle in that giant ball of yarn.
God of the unexpected, help me to put my expectations aside and, instead, look for what you are doing in my life.