Theme of my thoughts last week...

Excellence.

It keeps coming up. Not sure if I touched on this in the previous posts from last week, but here we go anyway. Don't laugh at my examples, but I'm being honest with what kept bringing this up.

Between seeing Stephen keep his military bearing and utilize his BMT to the uttermost despite pressure to do less from every other airman. Catching up on So You Think You Can Dance and watching their stories of what it took to even get there. Years of countless hours of week to dance. Families picking up and moving to invest in the opportunity for their kid to follow their dreams. And then the big football weekend stories. Mainly, the stories leading up to the UF vs FSU game. It being Tebow's last home game of his career and all, there were a lot of stories of his life and getting to that point. It was interesting to hear his previous coaches and teammates talk about him. He put in above and beyond what most people did, worked his butt off, and held himself to the highest standard. You know the type of person that holds them self to the highest standard and works so hard that you can't help being challenged to do and be better and push harder just because you're close to them? I want to be that person. I want to be like Joseph, faithful in the little things. Like Daniel, willing to stand and not compromise. Like Nehemiah, willing to put my hand to the plow and pay the cost to get it done.

I watched a stupid GAP commercial. The basic premise was, "Do enough to get by so you can be as comfortable as possible. Do what feels good." Oh course that's what the world says and it's stupid so I immedietly mentally reject it. But after thinking about it, I don't really see an area of my life I haven't let that type of thinking seep into. Is there anything I can honestly say I gave my heart and my soul to? That I gave everything I could, did my very best, all that I had to offer. I could have always put in more time, started earlier, worked harder. In school I always could have paid more attention and focused more on learning than making grades. Back in sports I could have put in more effort and pushed harder instead of just getting though drills. Even in working out now I cut corners. I don't do anything to the best of my ability.

So then what the heck do I do with verses that say things like ,"In everything you do, work at it with all your heart as serving the Lord and not man."

Why do I act as if school and being dilligent in all aspects of my life doesn't matter to the Lord? Why do I not value the abilities and gifts I'm given enough to do my best? Excellence in everything I do. Such a foreign concept. But living in the way of always only giving half of my heart and enough to get by seems to be settling. And honestly, I don't think it honors the Lord.

I am okay/good at a lot of things. But as far as obvious talents go, I am not great or exceptional at anything. Sometimes I wish so badly I was so it would give me some direction or something to really go all out in. But at the same time is that just me building my own babel. All glory to me. And if it is not all about the glory of God it all is a waste anyway. Every act of self control, not listening to certain music, watching certain things, doing certain stuff, if it is not spurred out of the motivation to honor my Jesus and glorify my God than all I've accomplished is self righteousness which competes with God.

I am just clay, made for whatever purpose He has. I feel Him shaping me and I'm done asking why. But however honored and known my job is, or however secluded and unknown....I want to honor my King and do it to the best of my ability. So what has He called me to now? Time to serve Him instead of myself.