Distinction vs Mediocrity

As I read the Business Journal today, I came across a page about a construction company in the Sacramento area, that has been awarded the honor of being a WCCC Project Winner for the last five years. Then I asked myself, how could one company get such distinction. My default reaction was to parallel it with the real life situation. Our life is like a construction company. We begin by getting ourselves involved in a relationship, a project, a job, or a ministry in church ( just to name a few examples). All these require commitment and investment. We often do our business in life with our minds set on the benefit we derive in the end. We ask the questions: What am I going to get out of this? What will I gain? How much profit will I get? How much better will I look? What recognition will I get? Will my neighbors or friends look at me with envy afterwards? These are the questions of a common man. These are the questions of an ordinary construction company.

Aragorn the character from the Lord of the Rings said right before he took off to fight in the battle against the forces of darkness, "I leave nothing for myself!" He was all devoted to the cause that he was fighting for. That is a fiction. However, we know of a real story of a man who gave up everything he had including his life so that mankind would have life. He suffered (whipped), he bled (pierced to death), he gave up his pride (spat upon and considered as a thief) and he gave up his throne. Yes, he was Jesus, the King of Kings. If we analyze his situation before the end, we would think it is a tragedy. Not so. Jesus was glorified in heaven and now sits at the right hand of God . Aragorn, the fictional king, was triumphantly crowned King in the end.

How much do we usually leave for ourselves? Yes, it is hard to give beyond what is comfortable. It is hard to imagine giving up the things that make us feel good and secure. We hold on to our comfort zone and we shun risking our time and resources for a good cause. Our sight is short. We tend focus on the events before the end. We forget that there is one more chapter beyond what we see - the awards ceremonies.

Mediocrity takes over because we reserve huge a allowance for the unknown. We refuse to give it all. We desire distinction and yet we skimp on faith.  No wonder there are more ordinary than there are award-winning construction companies. It is no wonder that there are more pseudo followers of Christ than there are Christians.