Where She Clears Up Some Confusion. Or Tries, Anyway.

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night."  ... Psalm 1:1,2

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So! Yesterday's post confused some folks. 

Perhaps it was semantics, you know, my usage of the word 'mediocre.' Man, I hate that word! Hey, look at the definition I gave. Who can thrive or love living like that? ("Neither good nor bad,  inferior, poor, not adequate.")

Anyway. Today, below, you'll find illustrations of what excellence means to me. 

Your ideas may vary. That's cool. 

When the couch and a donut are calling, but I take a walk for my health, instead--that's excellence.

Tearing myself away from social media when God nudges--not hours later--that is excellence.

Baking a pie for new neighbors (even though I'm nervous) because God asked me to --that's excellence.

Expressing my condolences online to friends when they lose a loved one or pet or they ask for prayer and I promise to pray --that is excellence.

Giving my family a clean, safe home is a gift to them--and also excellence.

When I stop making excuses about doing challenging things (because God doesn't fall for them anyway)--that's excellence.

Rolling my shopping cart back to its designated spot is excellence.

Mailing surprise gifts (or buying a stranger's Starbuck's treat)--sowing seeds through all giving--that is excellence.

Expressing to someone how their words or deeds helped me--that is excellence. Getting a bit more sentimental than saying only, 'Happy birthday' is as well.

Forgiving others is excellence. Being kind rather than offended or keeping score of peoples' mistakes is, also.

Finishing what I start is excellence. As is pushing past procrastination.

Refusing to gossip is excellence.

'Going the extra mile' with someone, doing more than they expected is excellence.

Not 'letting myself go' is excellence.

Being a wife my husband can safely, totally trust is excellence.

Not comparing myself or my house or talents or family to others' is excellence.

Being the first to apologize is excellence.

Doing today what I'll be satisfied with later on--that's wisdom. And excellence, also.

None of this condemns me. It convicts, though. 

And keeps me growing, busy with good, productive tasks, stepping not to the beat of the world's strife-y music. Uh, no.

And am I there yet 100%? Of course not. But hey, I'll get there much faster if my aim is for excellence rather than for a barely adequate, just-get-by mediocrity.

Jesus wants to live excellently through me--and I'm learning to let Him. When Jesus lived here on Earth? He was excellent every day.

And He asks that we be like Him.

There is no awful stress living His way. No ugly competing. No kick-myself-guilt. Instead, there's encouragement to keep marching forward, even through hard times, tears.

In a godly joy.

In love.

In determination. With focus.

In a strength not my own.

... all creating a history I'll not be embarrassed to mull over when I reach Heaven. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."   ... 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Only let us live up to what we have already attained."   ...  Philippians 3:16

Aim only for doing less than we're capable of--and we'll always hit that bullseye. Always.

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Oh wow. This book is even more gorgeous than I'd remembered.

I just slightly skimmed it, for it'll be the perfect (perfect!) wintertime book to dive deeply into and keep me far from cabin fever--or even--to make me treasure the time, the months of snow.

Really, I own many books, but this one? Perhaps the most gorgeous.




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This. This is what I mean--

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"Walk ... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." ... Ephesians 4:2

Aim for Mediocrity? Really?

Now in this post, am I speaking of stressing yourself out with selfish ambition and being the best whatever in the whole world? Uh, no. I'm, as always, talking about being led by God in His way of excellence and not settling for less. Of being the best you that He created. And there is NO crazy-stressful-gotta-keep-up anything about that. None. Zip. Nada.

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So I read a (went-viral) blog post where the author wrote eloquently about her desire  to be mediocre and forget all about striving for excellence or making her life count. Yikes!

Oh, my head (and the room) spun and I turned a sickly shade of greeny-purple.

Seek mediocrity? Seriously?

Mediocre:

1.) of only ordinary or average quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.

2.)  not satisfactory; poor; inferior.

No thank-you, lady. Ol' Debra gets itchy, something's-wrong-but-what? inside her spirit when she goes acting all mediocre.

But oh! The article sounded so sensible, so freeing and right in some parts (you might say).

Whatever. 

No one will ever convince me that I should aim for mediocrity regarding the way I think, keep house or live these few short years on Earth. 

Now, if you want to arrive in Heaven having lived an average, neither good nor bad, barely adequate life, well, ok. Go for it.

Yet it all sounds too horrifying to me. Too much like an excuse to remain 'in the bud', in one stagnant spot physically, emotionally forever--and call it Good.

No, personally, I need challenges, a hand to yank me up from this average pool where I sometimes drift, as if asleep. I crave God's nudgings to behave better next time: to be kinder, work harder, set my sloppy attitude upon the street. And I need the inspiration via books or film or just plain watching  people of excellence and the different, finer choices they make.

We're all placed here, in fact, with a huge potential 'to spur one another on to love and good deeds' (Hebrews 10:24). And if you ever catch me here urging you, instead, to be mediocre? You may, well, not shoot me exactly, but please do call me out on it, ok?

Thanks.

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels."   ... Proverbs 31:10

"But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”   ... Luke 21:36


"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Attention all my fellow lovers of vintage girls' mysteries. You can get 25 novels from this genre for your Kindle for only .55 cents.

What a deal!

There are even second and third similar books available.

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Want to read more Bible verses regarding excellence? (These are so convicting, inspiring.) Go here.


Or for verses regarding 'the brother of mediocrity' known as 'laziness,' go here.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

― Anais Nin

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How tragic, how final, to reach Heaven and think, "God had more for me to do and be. But I chose something less. Something safer, easier and ultimately, sadder."


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"Walk ... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." ... Ephesians 4:2

Looking For a Conspiracy?

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..." ... 1 Peter 1:22, James 1:19


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So this morning I sat on the red couch after Tom drove to work and a story popped up on our local tv news about this video--



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---which some guy had spread over Facebook because he'd attended Sunday's Buffalo football game where he filmed a sheriff's deputy snatching away an American flag (the big Fascist meanie) from fans.

And (I quote), "In the headline above the video, the Facebook poster used two expletives directed at the Bills and the NFL and said he walked out" (while others chanted 'U.S.A! U.S.A!').

Turns out, three times the fans were warned that their flag was covering a game clock, thus disrupting the game. If they didn't move it, it would be taken away.

They didn't and it was.

Later, after getting the facts, the Facebook poster apologized for sharing the film without first hearing the complete story.

I laughed. Grunted, actually. Wait for the whole story? Who even does that anymore?

😉

Yet also, I laughed because hey, I know my own tendency to latch onto a juicy conspiracy theory, especially if it matches up with a biblical Last Days Bible prophecy. 

There's just something about believing we know what's really going on, right? Poor ol' ignorant other folks, we think.

And yes, there's some pride in that. Er hem.

But also? I, personally, believe some of that comes from our wanting more. More than the (yawn) same ol', same ol' surface stuff that we (and everybody else) already know.

Basically,  I think, God designed us to want more so to keep us longing for more of Him (He who is endless). More of His deeper truths, His light, His ways, His love.

You know, rather like this-- 


“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."   ... Matthew 5:6


And if we seriously hungered for and sought those, instead? Oh my, we'd not have an extra half-hour for those substitution conspiracy theories.

We'd be far too busy. Too actively learning how to better love, (for example), than waiting to pounce on the next words (or actions) from others who (to us) never seem to get anything right.

It's a habit, this expecting the worst from people or this 2018 life. And may that be one habit we ask God to help us break--so that we may free-up room for a more excellent way.

How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"  ... Psalm 133:1




"And now let me show you a more excellent way--

Love is ... not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and it endures all things. Love never fails."   ... from 1 Corinthians 12 & 13


What if we expected the best, not the worst? What if we ceased speeding toward conclusions and instead, earned peoples' respect, not their derision and teasing?


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Had to smile about these yesterday on Facebook--

Life's short. Make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers about politics...


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"Walk ... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." ... Ephesians 4:2