Expect More, Do More

Fall has officially begun and transformation can be seen all around. Temperatures have cooled off nicely, giving us many pleasant afternoons with the promise of more to come. Airstream trailers have brought to town fiddlers from across several states indicating that the first major celebration of the season is about to take place. Within weeks the leaves will be changing colors, giving the Tennessee Valley an orange, red, and brown tint. Most importantly, however, snare drums can be heard in towns across the state meaning that it is once again time for what is in my opinion one of the south’s finest traditions: high school and college football.

I never cease to be amazed by the college football pundits who decide (whether it be on TV or in their polls) who the national champions will be even before the first play has been run. They base these predictions on last year’s results along with recruiting stats and somehow manage to rank teams even before seeing them on the field. We have already seen this year, as we usually do, how wrong pre-season polls can be. Number 1 USC recently fell to unranked Oregon State proving that no matter the expectations, anything can happen. Being expected to win and winning are two different things.

But before we write expectations off altogether we need to realize that they can decide the outcome of a game if the teams competing allow them to do so. Here, the University of Southern California provides a perfect example. They expected to win against Oregon State University. These expectations were based on the very realistic and logical assumptions that they had better players, a better coaching staff, and a better team dynamic. Perhaps someone should have explained this logic to the Oregon State players and coaches because they obviously did not assume that they were marching toward an unavoidable and humiliating defeat on national television. To the contrary, they expected to have a chance to win. So, when the whistle blew and the first kick sailed into the air, one team started playing to win and the other believed they already had.

There are two types of expectations: those other people have of you and those you have of yourself. The first category does not matter too much, but the second will determine what course your life eventually takes. As the USC-Oregon State game proves, people usually meet whatever expectations they set for themselves, whether those expectations are good or bad. If we set the bar high and always try to jump higher, we will be able to shake things up in the world around us. However, if we lower the bar and assume that we’ve already accomplished great things, we will fall short of our full potential.

In the church at Ephesus, members set the bar low for the young evangelist Timothy. They believed he was too young and therefore could not do much. But Paul tells him to have a higher standard for himself, saying, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” In essence, Paul is telling Timothy to prove them wrong, to set an example which nobody could question. As Alex and Brett Harris point out in their book Do Hard Things, setting this kind of example is not easy. Their book challenges teenagers to do just as the title suggests and step out for God even when it hurts.

American society typically does not appreciate the potential that lies within the souls of so many young people. Because society expects less of teenagers, teenagers begin expecting less of themselves. The challenge is simple: expect more, do more. Do not let others set the bar lower for you. Instead, do the hard things necessary to raise the bar to the level God would have you attain.

I Want It All

On September 18, 2007 Randy Pausch gave what would be his final lecture to his computer science students at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died in July of this year, however his farewell address has been much publicized and even made into a bestselling book. In recalling one teaching job, Randy said that his students surprised him:

"I had been a professor for a decade at that point, and when I started BVW, I didn’t know what to expect. I gave the first two-week assignment, and ended up being overwhelmed by the results. I didn’t know what to do next. I was so at sea that I called my mentor, Andy can Dam.

‘Andy, I just gave my students a two-week assignment and they came back and did stuff that, had I given them an entire semester to complete it, I would have given them all A’s. What do I do?’

Andy thought for a minute and said: ‘OK. Here’s what you do. Go back into class tomorrow, look them in the eyes and say, ‘Guys, that was pretty good, but I know you can do better.’’

His answer left me stupefied. But I followed his advice and it turned out to be exactly right. He was telling me I obviously didn’t know how high the bar should be, and I’d only do them a disservice by putting it anywhere.” (The Last Lecture, p.122-123)

Randy learned a lesson that day about potential and how it can be stifled when individuals do not recognize it.

We all have the ability to do great things, but when the bar is set too low we often jump only high enough to clear those low expectations. Nowhere is this truer than in our relationships. In Genesis 2:18, God makes the observation that “it is not good for man to be alone.” While this statement specifically refers to Eve, it also tells us something about human nature. Both men and women were created for relationships, but for some reason we often seek only the minimum benefit from the people with whom God has surrounded us. Perhaps we are shy or scared. Maybe our culture prevents us from discussing things beyond pleasantries because certain subjects are not meant for “proper conversation.” It could be that we simply do not appreciate the blessings which God desires to pour out upon us through our friends and family.

The New Testament is full of admonitions about doing the things that promote healthy Christian relationships. The Hebrews writer asks how we can make our love and good deeds increase and then explains that we do so by spending time together (Heb. 10:24-25). James advises to confess our sins to one another, not because we need to get things off our chests, but so that we can pray for each other and be healed (James 5:16). Paul explains that differences can be healthy in a relationship when he says that members of the church are like parts of a body…all different, but all necessary. Where one person is weak another will be strong (1 Cor. 12). As we look at the relationships in our lives, romantic and platonic, let us strive to get everything out of them that God intended.