Forsake a mediocre heart
Our lives today are filled with standards. Consciously or not, we each hold standards. From (and not limited to) how we dress, talk and act- we each have an idea of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Here’s an interesting take; in as much as our standards are formed around who we want to be we simply can’t ignore that we also form them around who we want to be perceived to be.
Okay so what does this mean?
We simply don’t allow ourselves to drop the standards. Think of it this way, the day you walk into a clothing store and pick any item at random without critiquing whether or not it suits you and you pay and walk out with it – then you’ll have successfully dropped your standards. Do you know why we put so much effort into cloth shopping? We want our way of dressing to represent us or to communicate to the rest something about us, there’s a standard we’re trying to maintain.
So here’s a challenging thought, if it’s human nature to not drop the standards, how is it that we are still able to do so?
My response would be- we can’t drop a standard that’s personal to us. Again, let’s go back to the clothing example, if you were shopping for someone else, as much effort as you would have put in you may have end up dropping their standards because they’re not similar to yours. We can’t hold ourselves to the standards of others, we’ll always fall below at some point. If a standard is personal to us, if we’ve internalized it and registered it in our hearts more than our minds then and only then- there’s no way we’ll drop it; without at least feeling somewhat embarrassed.
This may all feel a bit confusing but I hope it makes sense somewhere down the line. How have we as Christians allowed ourselves (individually) to drop the standards? Every pleasing thing to God – that’s the standard! Have we failed to register it in our hearts that we are all called to uphold this? Has this now become a Christian thing more than it is a me or a you thing? I’m speaking to you, yes you, have you made it a standard in your life to please the father? Here’s the truth, until you’ve done so, you’ll keep dropping the standards He has called you to live above. Until pleasing the father stops being something in the Bible and finds root in your heart then you’ll continually fall way below the standard. IT HAS TO BECOME PERSONAL!
How much longer will you keep joyriding on grace? Anything less that what has been set before you is mediocrity. If you won’t dress mediocre how then will you gladly let your heart remain mediocre?