Falling Behind? Your Unique Path to Success Revealed!

I have terrible news: you’ve fallen behind. This will go on your permanent record. It will likely set off a chain reaction of shortcomings that will result in a decrepit life of abysmal mediocrity. And I’ve saved the worst part for last: I’m going to have to check the box that says, “Does not meet expectations.” I’ve noticed a trend in our society that began when I was young and still continues today. It’s only gotten worse: the trend of falling behind. Everyone fears it. Apparently, a child needs to get into the right preschool to get into the right elementary school, then the right high school, and eventually Harvard. So if a child doesn’t get into the right preschool, it’s the end of the world. “You’re falling behind,” people say. But it begs the question: falling behind whom? Around the time of the First World War, we began mass-producing all kinds of things in factories. That’s its own problem when it comes to things like food. That was when we began adding things to our food that aren’t really food—but that’s something for another video. Unfortunately, we also started mass-producing children. There’s a prototype for how to be, and there’s no real sense of formation in our education system. So all we do is help children build knowledge. Thus emerged standard expectations for students and standardized tests. The standard expectation likely began around the fiftieth percentile of students. But every school wants to be the best, so over time, the standard grew and grew—to the point where sometimes the standard is the ninety-ninth percentile of students. That leaves us with a lot of students who are “falling behind.” In the Old Testament, Jacob is falling behind Esau. He isn’t strong or gifted in the traits his family values. But over time, he discovers God and learns that he can think outside the box to succeed. David was falling behind. He was a shepherd and his family’s errand boy. Over time, he realizes that God has a career in the military and politics that will allow him to flourish. Jacob and David, along with Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Richard Branson, Eminem, and Steve Jobs, discovered that falling behind isn’t really falling behind. It’s developing in a unique way and allowing God to work in our lives. So if you’re falling behind, don’t speed up. Slow down and pray. That checks the box. That meets God’s expectations. Don’t forget to like and subscribe. I pray daily for my subscribers.