“It’s not just any other day, its my first day.”
- John Dorian
I think geneses are a big deal for everyone. And not just the band. Beginnings are full of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, fear, loathing, but sadly, no Las Vegas. The beginning is always a big deal. J.D. narrates and says, “This is my story.”
I am a big fan of telling stories. Your story is important. I like to think my story is important. J.D’s story is important, no matter how fictitious it may be. I think one of the reasons I connect with this show is because there is something deep in all of us that longs to connect with others by sharing our story.
Another reason I think beginnings are so important is because they usually come with expectations. It doesn’t matter what it is, whether its starting a new job, a marriage, or a friendship, we come full of expectations. A lot of times we may even lack the ability to fully articulate what our expectations are, but they are still there, and we realize it only when they are broken. Watch this scene:
J.D is probably referring to this movie.
But I think this describes the majority of my expectations. They always fall short. Some in small ways, others in major ways. And more than expectations, I am always falling short. When my expectations aren’t met, it seems to remind me not only of my own short-comings, but the short-comings of everyone around me. Expectations remind us that we live in a fallen world with fallen people.
I think this comes down to the lyrics by Lazlo Blane in the song that opens the show:
“I can’t do this on my own. I’m no superman.”
We were made to share in each other’s stories. We weren’t made to live and work and laugh by ourselves, to go at life on our own. Even with the disappointment of broken expectations, I think we long to be part of something greater than ourselves.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in his book Life Together that Christian community is a reality created by God in which we get to participate, and says “It is grace, nothing but grace that we were allowed to live in community with others.”
It’s the people and relationships that surround J.D. that will allow him to survive as a doctor, who will pick him up when his expectations are crushed. I hope we all find a true community of people to live, learn, serve, forgive and love.
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when people dwell in unity.”
Psalm 133:1
May we all learn what it means to live in community, that we don’t have to be superman, that we don’t have to go at it on our own, and may we learn to live with the ebb and flow of our expectations.
I leave you with the highlights from episode one:
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