Norm Reference

Grading on a curve.  This is a practice in some college classes for assigning grades.  It works like this.  The scores are ranked from lowest to highest.  The average score and those around it are given a grade of C.  Those a bit farther away from the middle are given Bs and Ds, while those at the extremes are given As and Fs.  It is called a curve because when the grades are ranked there are more scores near the average and it creates a graph that looks like a bell.

Now the curve has advantages and disadvantages.  In some college classes there are a certain number of students who don't take it seriously and will fill in the bottom.  There are also those students who excel and they will take the places at the top.  So what is created is more or less a competition of sorts.  It doesn't matter how much of the material that you master as long as you are better than the others.  On the other hand, if you are in a particularly great group, but the worst in that group, it doesn't look so good for you.

What we call "Grading on a Curve", statisticians call "Norm Reference".  It means how well we perform compared to the average or the "Norm".  By contrast, "Criteria Reference" means that there is some objective standard.  The grade is assigned based on how well you meet that standard, not how well you compare to others,  

It is like the baby development charts.  It says that at three months the baby should be holding their head up.  It doesn't say which baby is the best at holding their head up or the first (though parents might be watching for this).  The chart sets a specific milestone and we evaluate whether or not they meet the expectation.

So in school, work or life we have certain expectation of how the world should be.  Whether we have them in written form or just in the back of our heads, the expectations are still there.  Expectations, however, are limited by vision.  We use our own experiences to set goals that are reasonable or even ambitious, but maybe even that is way below what is possible,

God has a vision for each of us.  It is not a norm referenced vision that ranks us based on how good other people are or on the average standard of living.  It is not criteria referenced to the worlds standard of success.  It is a vision based on the potential that each of us has when following the path that God has for us.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Jesus brought Heaven to Earth.  Jesus brought the divine to the mundane.  And in doing so, Jesus change the expectations for everyone for all time.  It is a standard that we can never measure up to on our own, but through surrendering out will to God, success is guaranteed.