Excellence

This season of life my family is walking through is so fast-paced, borderline out of control and downright CraZy... sickness, work, school, commitments... but yet I still have a hard time saying NO. The struggle at times is that I have a hard time choosing priorities or passions and sticking to them.  I find myself desiring to DO everything, to try something new, to venture out into the exciting unknown, to be good at everything. The problem I see in that indecisiveness and lack of dedication and unwavering focus is so much mediocrity.  Now don't get me wrong, mediocrity along with dabbling in diverse interests, isn't wrong or bad.  It's just... shouldn't we strive for excellence?  Becoming an excellent photographer for instance, takes dedication, perseverance and sacrifice. Dedication-the time, hard work, practice and study it takes to excel at the hobby. Sacrifice-not giving your energy or means to many other "things", saying NO to other alluring and even urgent projects or even relationships.  The thing about photography is it's just a thing. You can always eventually move on to the next fad and not have any baggage or lasting consequences of putting your investment up on the shelf to collect dust... except for maybe a few regrets.
On the other hand becoming a parent-the biggest endeavor one can take on-and not dedicating your life to the raising of upright children may leave one with a life-time of regrets and constant reminders of those failures to invest everything you had into your kids!
Our Christian walk. That is NOT something we can take lightly, off and on again or only pick it up when it's "fun" or convenient.
For a person such as myself and my type DD personality, if a captivating idea comes to me, I feel the means are readily available and the door opens, I dive head long into it. All or nothing with me. Expend every ounce of energy into learning, expanding my knowledge and bringing my new found passion to fruition. Only, I must have dedication A.D.D. because it doesn't usually last long.  Once the "honeymoon" stage of a new adventure wears off and the gruelling mundane work begins, I am often quickly caught up and swept away with a new ambition.  I make a great starter... just a lousy finisher. This is all well and good, and for the most part doesn't hurt anyone, but the sacrifice of wanting to be good at and try everything, is that I will never ever be excellent at anything. 
I believe the first and most important calling we have as Christians is to be excellent in Christ. Our walk with God should be our all-time, 1st in line passion. All of our energy, resources and time should begin with time spent in His Word, prayer, growing in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and following His lead, dying to the flesh and living a life led instead by the spirit... but beyond that-what is our calling as Christians? 

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Colossians 3:16-17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

God's grace is enough to cover any and ALL mistakes we make in life-those times when my dedication to spending time with Him wanes. I am so thankful for that truth! I can ask myself when presented with a decision, "Is this to fill an emotional need, to take the place of God? Am I calling it quits on this venture because I feel it's becoming too hard or because God is leading me in a new direction?" I believe whole-heartedly that the MOST important thing about what I might choose to fill up the days of my life is the reason behind WHY I am doing it. Am I doing it for God, alongside and through the strength and means He provides? Or am I looking to step a rung higher up the worldly ladder in my own strength-to appease my pride? If I know I am called to do something and I choose to go my own way instead, that would certainly not be beneficial... even if I thought it was for a "good" reason and helped someone else out, my heart wouldn't be in the right place and I am sure my conscience and circumstances would eventually tell me so! If it doesn't bring my Lord glory or if I am doing it for my own glory, or God just isn't plain behind it, what good is it going to profit anyone? My labor would be in vain because it bears no weight, it's foundation is weak, it's fruits will wither and die.

Proverbs 19:20-21
Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.
There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand.


1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So, from what I gather, it's not as much about what I do, but why I do what I do that makes the difference. Am I fueled by God's love or love for myself? Do I have what it takes to be an excellent Child of God? I have faith that God will lead. He provides a plan, a way and the tools to excel in it.  I pray that my Christian walk would not resemble my tendency to move from one thing to another-pursuing many different passions and hobbies, dropping whole-hearted dedication the minute something new, exciting and better-looking knocks at the door-and scream lukewarm mediocrity.  It's easy peasy to do the wrong thing that in the end, brings death and destruction.  It's not so easy to choose God's will and "run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..."  I long to have a heart and spirit that excels in reflecting Christ in everything that I do, whatever I do and every minute of every day I walk this earth.
Because anything worth the getting, takes time. Sacrifice. Dedication. And work... and Lord willing, will end solely glorifying my Savior, through excellence-a heart that desires God.

Psalm 86:10-12
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.