Expectations and Earnings

My reading today took me through Deuteronomy 26. The general message of the chapter is God laying out expectations for His people once they had concluded their conquest of Canaan. He constructs what exactly He wants them to do in regards to their first-fruits sacrifices, where to take the goods, who will take care of them, and to whom they would be distributed.

I found this idea of structure interesting because it seems like such a cornerstone of successful environments. Probably the class that made the biggest impression on me in my last few years of college was my public speaking class. Slightly ironic perhaps, given that I am a science major.. But the reason that this class stands out so much to me is twofold.

For one thing, my professor was painfully clear and obvious as to the expectations of the class. He set the standards in the syllabus. We had one free absence from class without losing points. We had to be on time every time, or else we would lose points. When we were scheduled to give a presentation, we had to email our outlines to him no less than 24 hours before the start of class or else we wouldn't go. Absolutely no excuses. Basically we knew exactly what was expected of us, and were asked to either agree to the rules or drop his class.

Having these rules out in the open certainly clears up the fog of college expectations and dissipates the questions about logistics. It reminds me of what my parents have said in years past regarding clear understanding in the parent-child relationship. I can only imagine how difficult it would be from a child's perspective to never know where the boundaries are. And from the parent's perspective, it probably relieves some stress when you have clear expectations, rather than always wondering what you should treat as acceptable.

Last night I was thinking about the idea of "deserving" something without clearly "earning" it. I don't think I ever inherently deserve anything good. The things I have in life are things which either others have been generous enough to give to me, or else I worked for and earned. I'm not entitled to anything without one of those two things happening.

Now this idea can transfer into a leader-follower type situation. I've had professors who demanded respect merely on the basis that they are up in the front of the room talking. At the same time, they were terrible examples of fairness and earned anything but respect. The second reason my speech class really meant so much to me was the quality of my professor. He didn't just come across as someone who deserved respect because of his title. He clearly earned respect in my eyes by his conduct, wisdom, knowledge, and example. He didn't expect anything more from his students than he expected of himself. And if I ever felt mistreated, all I had to do was look at his example.

Who can better define this idea of earning respect than our Father and Savior? Sometimes I have a hard time seeing His blessings. But it is then that I fail to realize that my very existence is His doing. And when I feel that my life is unfair, if I look at the reality of what He has done, I am comforted.

“This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. “You have today declared the LORD to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. “The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken.” -Deuteronomy 26:16-19