Monday, April 9, 2012

and then some

Steven Furtick defines three types of people in his "And then some" blog:

1. bare minimum mentality people. They’re D- people. Doing enough to pass, but nothing more. They spend the bare minimum time with their spouses that it takes to appease them. They turn in work that meets the bare minimum requirements. And then they wonder why their marriage sucks, they never get a promotion, and they can never find fulfillment in life. It’s because a bare minimum mentality reaps bare minimum rewards.

2. good enough people. They’re B, maybe B+ people. They turn in good work that shows effort. They do the routine daily and weekly duties that sets you up for a good marriage. But they leave it at that. They get the ball 80 yards down the field, but because they aren’t willing to put in extra effort, they usually settle for a field goal, which is good. But they could have gotten a touchdown, which would have been great.

3. world-class drive people. They’re A+ people. Good enough isn’t good enough for them when they know they have greatness in them. As a result, they generally have great jobs, great marriages, and greater fulfillment.

Here's the thing. I consider myself a #3 in most areas of my life. I give fully to my family. I give fully to my friends. I give fully to the people I date. I give fully to my job. I am often exhausted physically and spent emotionally. I give so much of my energy and my time and my focus - my focus! - to the things I hold with utmost importance. I've realized that this ability to concentrate causes me to turn people into idols, which isn't fair to me or to them. And it certainly isn't biblical. I'm not perfect, but I expect perfection from others. I give what I expect back. Because I want to grab the world by its horns and take advantage of all it has to offer, I expect people to want to grab me by the horns and hold on tight. And when I give and give and don't receive the same effort, focus or respect in response, my world falls apart.

Here's the (tough) thing though. The more I give and give, and focus and focus, and try and try in every other aspect of my life, the less I turn to the Lord (and the craizer I feel). The less I pray. The less I focus on Him. So maybe I need to learn to be a #3 in that part of my life too. Maybe the whole point is that if I am living with an “and then some” mentality then I need to make sure I am living with it in ALL areas, especially in the God area. If I am rejecting mediocrity from others, then why am I allowing it - in any way shape or form - in my own life?

It's time I become a #3 all around, not just in the easy parts I can attempt to control.

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