The Ogre Mediocre

The dreaded Mediocre came to visit and is trying to stay. I will not allow this. We all know him, that pesky little attitude that drains the color from life, simply because he is so very status-quo. Life is not bad right now, just mediocre. The funniest part is, my circumstances have not changed, they've just become more ordinary and my live-life-to-the-fullest spirit prefers extraordinary and unusual.

What to do?

Dust settling is part of life. I'm in a season that has an unpredictable lifespan. There isn't a summer break to anticipate, no sparkling new job, home, or manly man. And I've decided on the things that are important to me, just a few significant things. The reality is, if those things are going to be as meaningful as I hope, dedication is required. This is where the nose meets the grindstone, where the decisions are made, where the stuff you're made of bubbles to the surface. This is not always pretty. In fact, it looks rather...mediocre.

I refuse to believe that life as it is has to be mediocre. Ordinary things can be rich and beautiful. It's a matter of perspective. Ordinary is life; life is ordinary. Could it be that how we see it makes it extraordinary? "But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever (Psalm 52:8)." A green olive tree thrives. It's alive. It uses every drop of sunlight and so spreads its branches wide, its roots deep and gives olives that are delicious to look at and to taste. We can be like a green olive tree only because we trust in the lovingkindness of God...forever and ever. I like to flip the sentence so it says, "Because I trust in the lovingkindness of God, I am like a green olive tree in His house." That is the only constant in life: God and His lovingkindness. There's the Extraordinary.

And it sends Mediocre packing.