Most are familiar with a classic novel by Charles Dickens entitled Great Expectations. It is the story of the orphan Pip from the days of his early childhood until adulthood and his effort to try to be a gentleman along the way. The story begins on Christmas Eve 1812 when Pip is 7 years old and continues through to the winter of 1840, and it moves through various stages of experiences and expectations in Pip’s life.
In anyone’s life, there are always personal expectations – schooling, career, marriage, family, etc. These serve as goals and motivation as one navigates through the un-chartered waters of life. Expectations – “Eager anticipation: Something expected: Prospects, especially of success or gain.” Some people have low expectations, either for themselves or for others. It is like a negative echo-chamber – “you’ll never amount to anything!”…or, “what makes you think you can succeed/achieve?” Perhaps this is the analysis that can be applied to the Susan Boyle phenomena (April 11, 2009) and the tremendous response to this ordinary person following her appearance on Britains Got Talent. Some of the explanation about this event is revealing…An article in USA Today (April 20, 2009) is entitled: Why Susan Boyle Inspires Us. An explanation given is: “Boyle, for those who have been unconscious lately, is the middle-aged woman with frizzy hair who has been all over TV and computer screens for days, singing a Broadway show tune while millions wept and shouted and applauded wildly. Ten days ago, Boyle — 47, unglamorous, unfashionable, unknown — faced down a sneering British audience and panel of judges on Britain's Got Talent…Then, in an instant, she turned jeers to cheers with her rendition of one of the weepier numbers from Les Misérables….All of us reveled in the fact that even in our image-managed world, we could still have the tables turned on us…Last week, Susan Boyle was on TV from early morning to late night, telling her Cinderella back story (youngest of nine, learning-disabled and bullied as a child, caretaker for her dying mother, never been kissed, singer in the choir, possessor of big dreams) to all who trekked in person or by satellite to her Scottish village outside Edinburgh…”
Some of the other random comments made were: "Every time I watched it, I felt emotional," says Julie Carrigan, 47, a mother of five in Hemet, Calif. But why? It's the vindication. "When they were making fun of her, I was getting annoyed…And inside I'm thinking, 'I hope she blows them away.' I was so happy when she just let them have it."
It's the surprise. "If you have expectations of someone, you need to be prepared to be surprised by them," says Paul Potts…"It's part of human nature to make judgments based on first impressions, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be misguided by first impressions."
It's the guilt. Why the surprise? There's no correlation between appearance and talent, says Scott Grantham…"If she didn't look the way she did, would there be the same reaction? I don't think so," he says. "We make snap judgments based on appearance, and when we see those judgments were premature, we overcompensate by going so far in the other direction."
It's the shame. Boyle forced people to recognize how often they dismiss or ignore people because of their looks. "Is Susan Boyle ugly? Or are we?" asked essayist Tanya Gold in Britain's The Guardian.
Consider these things with me - - - The best summary may be: “For many, it all comes down to ancient wisdom.” Rahn Hasbargen, an accountant in St. Paul, cites John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." "Never has that verse been explained more dramatically than in the case of Susan Boyle…” The Epistle of James, chapter 2, underscores this thought and echoes God’s Law in Leviticus 19:15-18, “Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich…Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life, for I am the LORD. Never…bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” We also note from Romans 15:7 that which should be the common practice, especially of God’s people, namely, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Acceptance rather than Judgment – what a tremendous challenge and opportunity!
In anyone’s life, there are always personal expectations – schooling, career, marriage, family, etc. These serve as goals and motivation as one navigates through the un-chartered waters of life. Expectations – “Eager anticipation: Something expected: Prospects, especially of success or gain.” Some people have low expectations, either for themselves or for others. It is like a negative echo-chamber – “you’ll never amount to anything!”…or, “what makes you think you can succeed/achieve?” Perhaps this is the analysis that can be applied to the Susan Boyle phenomena (April 11, 2009) and the tremendous response to this ordinary person following her appearance on Britains Got Talent. Some of the explanation about this event is revealing…An article in USA Today (April 20, 2009) is entitled: Why Susan Boyle Inspires Us. An explanation given is: “Boyle, for those who have been unconscious lately, is the middle-aged woman with frizzy hair who has been all over TV and computer screens for days, singing a Broadway show tune while millions wept and shouted and applauded wildly. Ten days ago, Boyle — 47, unglamorous, unfashionable, unknown — faced down a sneering British audience and panel of judges on Britain's Got Talent…Then, in an instant, she turned jeers to cheers with her rendition of one of the weepier numbers from Les Misérables….All of us reveled in the fact that even in our image-managed world, we could still have the tables turned on us…Last week, Susan Boyle was on TV from early morning to late night, telling her Cinderella back story (youngest of nine, learning-disabled and bullied as a child, caretaker for her dying mother, never been kissed, singer in the choir, possessor of big dreams) to all who trekked in person or by satellite to her Scottish village outside Edinburgh…”
Some of the other random comments made were: "Every time I watched it, I felt emotional," says Julie Carrigan, 47, a mother of five in Hemet, Calif. But why? It's the vindication. "When they were making fun of her, I was getting annoyed…And inside I'm thinking, 'I hope she blows them away.' I was so happy when she just let them have it."
It's the surprise. "If you have expectations of someone, you need to be prepared to be surprised by them," says Paul Potts…"It's part of human nature to make judgments based on first impressions, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be misguided by first impressions."
It's the guilt. Why the surprise? There's no correlation between appearance and talent, says Scott Grantham…"If she didn't look the way she did, would there be the same reaction? I don't think so," he says. "We make snap judgments based on appearance, and when we see those judgments were premature, we overcompensate by going so far in the other direction."
It's the shame. Boyle forced people to recognize how often they dismiss or ignore people because of their looks. "Is Susan Boyle ugly? Or are we?" asked essayist Tanya Gold in Britain's The Guardian.
Consider these things with me - - - The best summary may be: “For many, it all comes down to ancient wisdom.” Rahn Hasbargen, an accountant in St. Paul, cites John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." "Never has that verse been explained more dramatically than in the case of Susan Boyle…” The Epistle of James, chapter 2, underscores this thought and echoes God’s Law in Leviticus 19:15-18, “Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich…Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life, for I am the LORD. Never…bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” We also note from Romans 15:7 that which should be the common practice, especially of God’s people, namely, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Acceptance rather than Judgment – what a tremendous challenge and opportunity!
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