Reject Mediocrity

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

An Icelandic proverb: "Mediocrity is climbing molehills without sweating," suggests the two faces of mediocrity: first, spending significant time and outsized effort on things that don't really matter… and second, spending minimal time and half-hearted effort on things that do.

We easily recognize mediocrity in half-baked efforts. It's the "whatever" mentality, the "good enough", and "it will do for now" (my personal most hated) attitude that wants to slide by with minimal effort--unless there's a promised reward.  One English teacher shared her frustration that the margin notes and verbal suggestions she offered on student papers, hoping to spur a desire for excellence, were typically met with bored faces, shoulder shrugs, and "Ok, whatever."  Sometimes they'd follow-up with a question, "Well, is it good enough to pass?"

That's mediocrity.

It's harder, though, to recognize the hidden face of mediocrity--pursuing perfection in things that don't really matter while neglecting the things that really do. It's insidious in today's culture: it begins with the schools and media telling us and our children that no particular moral standards or values are better than any other.  "It really doesn't matter what you do," they say, "as long as it makes you happy."  That's a recipe not only for moral disaster, but also for mediocrity across the board.

Peter Drucker, the late business management guru, pointed out the futility of time spent on meaningless tasks according to misplaced priorities. "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." He's exactly right. Our time on earth is limited—and precious.  If we don’t reject mediocrity, what are instilling in our children? We cannot model what we do not first practice. They need our help to spend that time wisely and to rise above the culture of mediocrity. We cannot live out scripture, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and walk in mediocrity at the same time. They cannot co-exist.

Where then do we find the antidote for mediocrity in the attitudes of our families? We look to the Word of the Lord. Man is responsible to follow God’s legislation. For Adam this meant refusing to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For us it means adherence to the whole counsel of God as directed in Scripture. Matthew Henry gives an appropriate exhortation. “Let us acknowledge God’s right to rule us, and our own obligations to be ruled by him; and never allow any will of our own in contradiction to, or competition with, the holy will of God.”

Encourage a vision of greatness built on a biblical foundation. Set the bar high for yourself and family to understand It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

1.    Embrace a vision worthy of time and effort. Affirm their infinite value, the higher purpose to which they've been called, and the ideas worth living and dying over. 

2.    Set high expectations. Hold them accountable.

3.    Teach them to give their best in every effort and to serve others consistently. Mediocrity feeds on selfishness and laziness. Even when a project is hard, dull, or not what they want to do, the struggle for excellence strengthens their heart and character.

4.    Show them that excellence comes from the heart.

5.    And finally, surround your children with people and resources that will encourage them to reject mediocrity and pursue excellence.

Nothing great comes easy. But a vision of greatness always beats a culture of mediocrity.