Like all my other blogs I have had this in my heart to write for about a week. I wrote a version in my phone notes last week but didn’t feel like that got my point across the way I wanted it too.
A couple weeks ago at church Pastor John’s sermon was titled 100×2. This was an odd title and it had my interest from the start. He started off early in the sermon asking what do we have in our life that is mediocre. This was a pretty big gut punch to start church. my mind started racing thinking of every way in life I feel like I am lacking. I am my own biggest critic. I beat myself up over a lot of small stuff. I never feel like I am good enough. There have been many days that I have felt like I am not worthy of being called to the world race. I know that this is not true because it is He who has called me.
What Pastor John said shortly after asking this hurt and made me think even more. “If your relationship with God is mediocre than most likely everything else in your life will be too.” Wow. I have a good relationship with the Father but not a great one. I pray, just not every day. I read my Bible, just not every day. I am still working on my mouth and speaking life not death over people. I slip and fall every day but I love the Lord with all my heart. I am really good at being ‘too busy’ to work on my relationship with the Father. When Pastor John said how your relationship with Christ being mediocre will cause other aspects of your life to be mediocre something clicked in my head. I am out of shape because I do not treat my body like the temple it is. I beat myself up because I don’t realize how much the Father values me.
This message was not just one of conviction though. What Pastor John said next is what I have been thinking about since I heard it and has encouraged me to be more than mediocre. This was the first message of summer break and he said that this summer we have the potential to make big changes in our lives that could have long lasting impacts. If we could identify one thing that is mediocre and give 100 percent over the next two months of summer to improve in that area then we would see noticeable change in our life. I have a hard time seeing how small steps make big progress at times. This time I was able to see how small changes could make a big impact. I knew that this is something that I can do.
The mediocre area in my life I was going to work on improving this summer was my relationship with the Father. I know that this has potential to spill over into other areas of my life but that not what I care about. I want more of Him. I want everyone to be able to just look at me and see the joy of the Lord no matter what I am doing. I want to be able to speak about how He has blessed me whenever and wherever. I have made it a priority to read my Bible every night before I go to sleep and spend time in prayer every day. I have also started trying to get up after my first (not tenth) alarm and staying off social media to focus on Him. I have also tried to talk about church stuff more with people. I told a coworker that she should bring her step daughter (who just moved from Florida) to youth group at Quest. I am going to invite a couple other coworkers to Quest on Sunday. A big thing I have noticed in myself since this sermon is my mouth. I have watched my tongue more and have tried to gossip less. Change is hard but I know that these have the potential to change me for life.
As you finish this blog answer two questions for me. What is mediocre in your life and how would your life be different if this area was no longer mediocre?
