On Mediocrity

My Latin teacher today went off on a bit of a tangent during class.
We are beginning to delve into the land of straight translating, as we have gotten to the end of our book's grammar and vocab lessons.
My teacher told us a story:
when he was a teenager, he played baseball, and one day he had been invited to a league all-star game. He was set to be starting pitcher, and had to get to the field 45 minutes before the game started.
Before he could leave the house, however, he had to finish his chores, which included washing the dishes after dinner. So he scrubbed the pots and plates and other such eating utilities and was on his way out the door, when his dad called him back inside:
"you need to do the dishes."
my teacher was taken off guard, seeing as how he had just done the dishes.
His dad proceeded to wipe his finger along the inside of a pot and showed him that it was not thoroughly clean. "wash the pots," he said.
So he did.
three more times, before his dad was satisfied.
By the time his dad let him leave, he had wasted a good 20 minutes or so washing the pots, angry, and his coach was ticked. He wasn't allowed to pitch.
Upset, he confronted his dad at the end of the game.
All his dad said was, "wash the pots right the first time, and you won't have to do it again."

A good story.
He led this on to a soliloquy on mediocrity.
It's easy to be mediocre.
Most people in America strive for it; the struggle to be unnoticed in a crowd, the desire to not stand out. Americans, teenagers especially, have a tenancy to surround themselves with a buffer. We don't want to be the best, and we certainly don't want to be the worst.
The problem with this is that, sure, anyone can be mediocre.
But being mediocre doesn't impress anyone.
It won't get you a sweet job, won't lead to a high quality of life, and will guarantee that you'll never rise to the top.

But that's okay, right?
why should we want to rise to the top?

Before Jesus left his disciples for good, he told them this; "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." [Matthew 28:18-20, NIV]
This is known as the Great Commission.
It's what Jesus charged christians with before going back into heaven.

Let me tell yah... no one is going to make disciples of all the nations by being mediocre.

In Titus 3:1, Paul said, "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men."
Does that sound like someone who's mediocre?
absolutely not.
That sounds like someone who would stand out in a crowd as someone who's going to rise to the top. You'll go far in life by being obedient, being ready to do whatever is good, and not slandering... being considerate and showing humility to everyone. That's not mediocre. That's exceptional.
And what better to be exceptional about than that Great Commission that we've been charged with?

Let's not be mediocre.
Let's show the world that we want to stand out- for good, for excellence, and for Jesus.