I started working at Starbucks last week. My position at North Phoenix is part time and it has come to a point where I needed to generate some more revenue to help accelerate the timeline for Dani and I to pay off credit card debt. So, my “new normal” is two part-time jobs that could not be more INCREDIBLY different.
It has been a great experience. One of the reasons is that I have two great bosses. My manager, Katie, and my assistant manager, Nilda, have been amazing teachers and coaches. Along with the staff, they have been generous, patient, and encouraging teachers who have made navigating a long learning curve very smooth and not overwhelming in any way.
One of the most powerful moments thus far came in my second interview. I met with Katie to discuss my expectations regarding this job and my background, personality, work experience, etc. After talking for some time, I asked Katie if I could ask her a question. Knowing she had already been perceptive in picking up some unique things about me, I posed this question – “What are some of the challenges you see for me in doing this job well?”
Katie had something very surprising to say. She said, “I think one of your greatest challenges in going to be managing your expectations of yourself. You are going to feel like you should nail stuff right away and you won’t. Whipped cream will explode on you. You will burn your hand steaming milk. You will spill a mocha and drop a frappaccino. That’s okay. Today, I dropped a Venti Caramel Macchiato all over myself. It’s all in how you respond to these things.” I have been thinking about these words ever since (probably close to three weeks now).
I have incredibly high expectations for myself – in every area of my life. I get down on myself when I don’t deliver what I feel like my peak performance could have been. And these words were permission for me to come to terms with this and choose to respond differently. It was incredible.
These words reminded of what a good friend once told me when we were talking. He said, “Scott, God offers you more grace than you are willing to offer yourself.” I am not sure what the context was (probably me beating myself up for getting a 96 on a test instead of a 100 or something similar). Yet, as Katie talked, I was also reminded of this friend’s words. True words dripping with the power to set me free.
The power to set you free as well. Maybe you aren’t the perfectionist I am. Maybe you don’t analyze everything you said or did, looking for places to improve constantly. But I would hazard a guess that there is some place in your life where you are leaving yourself on the hook in a major way. With a friend. With your work. With your spouse or significant other. With a past decision. With a lack of discipline. With an action you regret. And in that place, I would say, “God offers you so much more grace than you offer yourself.”
As I seek to manage my expectations today and learn more about inspiring and nurturing the human spirit, one cup, one person, one community at a time, I pray that you would manage your expectations as well. I pray that you will accept the grace of God and allow that gift to transform that place in your life.
Where in your life does God offer you more grace than you offer yourself?
