P4E.164 My Dad Always Said: "Do More Than is Expected"

This whole "My Dad Always Said" idea is an off-shoot of this blog's main purpose, which is encouraging men (myself included) to be more Christlike in their marriages. Part of being a Christlike husband is being a Christlike father. And, part of being a Christlike father is to model and impart Christlike character qualities to my children. As I said before, I had a very rocky start, but I'm trying to make up for lost time here.

So, another concept that I hope my sons will remember me for is the idea,

"Do More Than is Expected."

In general, I think most people over-promise and under-perform. It can be sort of anti-climactic to get exactly what you asked for and no more. More often than not, it seems we don't even get what we asked for. But, when someone does do more than is expected, people take notice. They feel more highly valued. They feel special. And they look at you in a different (better) light. This truly sets you apart from the crowd. The Boy Scouts ingrain doing more than is expected when they demand that you leave a campsite looking better than when you arrived. My son, Jon, learned in the Fire Department culture that "Early is on-time and on-time is late."

In some ways, doing more than is expected translates to "Do the Unexpected." The unexpected is romantic, because it is not practical, it is not pragmatic, it is unrealistic and idealistic. In this sense, Christ epitomised "Do the Unexpected." As a groom to His bride, the church, Christ did the unexpected by sacrificing Himself for the church's good. For whatever reason, I truly believe that women respond more deeply to the unexpected. As a husband, I think this is a particularly important concept to keep in mind (And I have to constantly remind myself).

Peace, Kim