I would like to write more about this but am in for (the next year) the throes of writing my dissertation so I need to be content to just sketch a few thoughts here.
Recently I have read three books on “greatness” or performance:
Shenk, David. The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong. New York: Doubleday, 2010.
Colvin, Geoffrey. Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. New York: Portfolio, 2008.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2008.
I found all three enormously stimulating for reflection on parenting, ambition, achievement. Furthermore, there is the ancillary benefit which pastors will appreciate of learning a smattering about a number of different careers and pursuits–valuable for relating to people in one’s congregation of diverse backgrounds and interests.
(Some of these may be available as well through your local public or school library as audio books on CD or downloadable through your library through downloadable eBook services like: Recorded Books One-Click Audio, Ingram Digital’s MyiLibrary Audio Book Platform, or Audiobooks from Overdrive).
Each of the three books emphasizes the power of disciplined practice for the achievement of success or “greatness.”
A few theological reflections on the pursuit of greatness, excellence, success, and achievement
1. Jesus’ description of the posture that leads to greatness. Our theological scruples should immediately be piqued when the issues of success and greatness are raised. How does this idea of greatness mesh with Jesus’ insistence that greatness must not be directly pursued? Our first reaction ought to be to recoil in revulsion as our thoughts converge on the sick pursuit of greatness promulgated and imposed by Hitler qua Nietzsche. If there is overlap between K. Anders Ericsson’s understanding of “deliberate practice” (relied on heavily in all three books above) and Jesus’ teaching, it is rich and complex. For Jesus, greatness is indeed achieved by intentional repeated habitual development as Ericcson recommends, but it is in becoming childlike (Mt 18:4; Lk 9:48) evoked in a very distinctive way by Jesus, and by serving others (Mt 23:11; Lk 22:26)–again illustrated in precise ways. Similarly, material accomplishments (“all of these things”)–one might think of success here–“will be added” after God’s kingdom and righteousness are first sought (Mt 6:33). Again though, righteousness is defined in surprising, peculiar ways in Matthew 5-6. I say “precise” and “distinctive” to explode any notion that “being childlike” or “serving” or “God’s kingdom” or being “righteousness” are obvious and self-evident slogans that can be abstracted and deployed without bringing to bear the larger mosaic of wisdom contained in the Scriptures.
2. The biblical mandate to put gifts and talents to use. It is interesting in the literature on talent that the Bible is blamed for the reductive idea that people are inherently talented or gifted or not. The Bible has had a formative influence on Western culture and in particular on the English language with the words “talent” and “gift” being used in the King James Version. But when the biblical texts are examined more closely, it is impossible to get the sense that “some are gifted and some are talented and if you do not have these gifts or talents, then it is futile to try.” The idea of “talent” or “gifts” in the Scriptures is not wholly about what is innate or imparted by God miraculously (though there is a sense of gratitude that is crucial: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7)); rather the “talent” and “gift” Scriptural texts all emblazon emphasis on making the most of what you have been given (Mt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27; Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:31; 1 Cor 14:1). This quote should be sufficient to illustrate the point: “You wicked, lazy servant! . . . throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 25:26, 30).
3. Single-minded focus on the kingdom of God. When one reads about the single-minded focus of Tiger Woods or Mozart on their craft, the obvious reaction is to wonder what area of greatness I or my children should singlemindedly pursue. If I were not a Christian, I would be deeply disturbed by this. If one can only achieve greatness by pursuing one thing; then “what is that one thing?” (as Billy Crystal’s character put it in the 1991 movie City Slickers). In response to this, as a Christian, it is enormously comforting not to be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people” (Eph 4:14). We know where joy is found. It is to be found in attentiveness and obedience to God as described richly in the Scriptures which we pore over and reflect on in communities of Christians.
4. Sorting through what it means to develop “greatness” in our children. So what does this mean for me as a parent of three children (6, 3, and 1 years old)? The powerful message of these books is that one can develop talent in children in some area–whether it be music, sports, art, languages, math or science. But the Scriptures teach that these competencies pale in significance in comparison to the deep appropriation of God’s wisdom (Prov 3). Therefore, parents will want to reflect on how to encourage their children to use their time and how as parents to interact with their children. Compare these five sample ways of thinking to that of parents trying to develop their children into standout artists, musicians, intellectuals, athletes and leaders.
- Teaching them to read, write, and speak well through reading aloud, exposure to the best books, as well as engaging mature intentional conversation with adults, that they might grow to be able to verbally witness to and receive God’s wisdom.
- Teaching them to build friendships through intentional social activities with the children of other quality families, together with immersion in church activities, that they might develop an appetite for and facility in participating in rich Christian community.
- Teaching them to care for creation with respect and compassion by closely supervised care of younger siblings, pets, flowers, and vegetables, that they might develop into soft-hearted parents, care-givers, and stewards.
- Teaching them the perseverance and joy of loving people who are different whether economically or socially, perhaps through adoption or fostering children, that they might become reflexively inclusive advocates of empathy and justice.
- Teaching them to love the Scriptures by enlivening the stories and wisdom in a way that delights the child that they might be a person who thinks with and after God. I wonder too about teaching Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew (ideally as spoken languages that it might be more joyful than onerous) in order to provoke additional fascination with the Scriptures.
It seems to me that these values and activities (or “virtues” or “practices”) described above engaged in with enthusiastic peers (“community”), modeled by parents, and sharpened by expert winsome teachers (“mentors”) should supersede in importance a number of other worthwhile but secondary values such as the following.
- Teaching a love of music through immersion in a musically rich environment, training under wonderful teachers, and the use of age-appropriate techniques that the child might be a contributor to the Christian community with their creative, composing, and performing abilities.
- Teaching courage, hard work, team work, and leadership through team sports and Scouts that the child might be an influencer for good and God now and in the future.
- Teaching math prowess through supplemental tutoring, drills, and games with winsome teachers that the child might become a precise thinker–contributing to the world and church in important ways.
- Teaching a love for science by equipping children with a growing knowledge of knowledge together with exposure to the fascinating areas of physics, chemistry, biology, and geology that the child might be a teacher of stewardship.
- Teaching dexterity with language by exposing children to multiple languages in the home and elsewhere that they might be people who transcend language barriers (both literal and figurative) as ambassadors for Christ.
- Teaching art with introduction to basic skills of drawing, sculpture, and paint, along with appreciation for and exposure to superb art, that they might be vibrant witnesses of God’s beauty and truth.
6. The sober truth about the parent as example. Needless to say, what is disturbing is that much of this is “caught rather than taught.” That is to say, children tend to pick up what they observe. The reaction of the parent should be: “God change me into the person you would want me to be. Fill me with the fruit of the Spirit. Friends in Christ, help me to see what is in me that God might not want me to pass on my children.”
7. Keeping ambition in check. The implications personally for we adults (of this idea of deliberate practice emphasized in the books above) is to consider what we are becoming. Are there things we are filling our lives with that do not contribute to who we want to become? I am referring here to the obvious destructive habits. The complementary constructive action is to pursue those things that form us into who God would want us to be. Secondarily, as with the children, is there an area of skill or talent that we want to grow in for the next 10 years (or 10,000 hours) that it takes to become particularly adept in some arena? Again, this seems to be a question that can better be discerned in community with other Christians. The question to ask is, “I would like to be this. Do you think the pursuit of this can be done without detracting from the more important pursuit of seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness?” This pursuit of ability (whether it be a leadership position, a scientific breakthrough, a promotion, achievement, measure of wealth, health goal) must be delimited by the more important pursuit of godliness.“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8).
I would recommend the books as fruitful catalysts for reflection. What I have sketched here are the sorts of reflections that would occur to many Christian readers.
I have not cluttered the above reflections with references but in the background are a number of books which I will paste below.