Meant to Soar

Today, I came across a book entitled Living Above The Level Of Mediocrity : A Commitment To Excellence, by Charles R. “Chuck” Swindoll. It belonged to my dad, and it did not look much like a brand new book to me. The pages were yellowing already. Haha. But anyway, I bothered to read it because my mum said it was a worthwhile book.

Before I started on this post, I checked the dictionary for the word: MEDIOCRITY. It is defined as: A quality that is acceptable, but not very good – either average or ordinary.

Living Above The Level Of Mediocrity talks about living life to the fullest by striving for excellence and seeing above and beyond the majority. Many times, we all take our cue from the majority and just “drift along with the flow”. We find that few people have the courage to be different and the guts to break away from what everyone else is doing.

Many of us are just contented with staying average and being ordinary. We do the same old things and never change or take the risk to try something new. But the truth is, if we just stay contented where we are, and not strive to aim higher, we’ll never arrive at that level of excellence God intended us to achieve. God destined us to soar high like the eagles in the sky. But many people prefer the boring lifestyle, working for the sake of working, and doing just enough to get by.

In life, there are probably two kinds of people. The ones who aim high and soar like the eagle, and the ones who aim low like chickens in the pen. You may be born an eagle, but if you prefer living among chickens, you’ll never learn how to fly because all chickens are contended just picking at the ground for grubby worms and all that sort. You notice that not all birds use their wings.

As I read the book, I was reminded of a primary school classmate. I remember an occasion when we were taking a test in the subject of art. I was well prepared to draw and color because my mum helped me plan what to draw at home. But beside me, I noticed that my classmate wasn’t doing her drawing very nicely. I asked her how come she wasn’t prepared, and she brusquely replied, “I don’t care lah. I didn’t even prepare. My mother said that as long as I try my best, it doesn’t matter how bad my marks are.”

For a moment, I was stunned at her reply. In my mind, I remember that my parents had always encouraged me to do my best, and not just to “try my best”. Yes, in a way, my friend was right. Ultimately, the marks doesn’t matter, but still, in whatever we do we should still strive for excellence and not just settle for mediocrity. It is when we strive to do our best, that we glorify God.

On the first page of the book, my dad had written in red ink:

Hope for the best,

Anticipate the worst,

Aim for the highest!

Remember my friend, we were meant to soar. So don’t just “hope for the best”, but also be prepared for the worst, and in all things, aim for the highest! =)

A Twinkle of Hope

It sort of came to my mind that many times, it is mostly in times of hopelessness that we suddenly remember that perhaps, our very last twinkle of hope can be found in God. That’s when we call out to Him. Most of the time, we may think we are capable enough to do a certain task on our own that we don’t think much of it. But when we are actually stuck in something, and when we realize that no one can help us, I find that we usually end up calling to God for help.

You know, sometimes I really can’t understand how some people can survive without knowing God. Who do they call to in their times of hopelessness? What will be their last “twinkle of hope” if they don’t have Jesus in their lives? If they don’t believe in God, it is most probable that they don’t believe in miracles either. To them, a miracle may just be a twist of luck. As for me, I am really so, so thankful that I know a God who knows my every need even before I need to ask for it.

Its hard to believe, but the Bible states that the every hair on our heads are numbered by God. He cares for us. Yes, many people question that if God really cares for us, why then is the world in such a mess? Why are there people who are so, so poor that they have to eat mudcakes – literally – and live in such miserable conditions? But really, if we people would use our God-given brains more efficiently, we’d accept the fact that all the poverty in this world is really the result of man’s own undoing!

It’s still true that life is unfair. Why is it that some people get so much, and some so little? Why is it that there are rich brats rich enough to feed their pet dogs caviar, and yet there are also the poor fellas who have to work at a young age to earn a meagre few dollars a month to feed a family? Why do some innocent children have to suffer the consequences of their irresponsible parents’ mistakes? Why, why, oh why? I would like answers, too. But ultimately, I suppose we will find out when we meet God face to face.

My dad once said, “Do you think it is very fun to be filthy rich?”

Honestly, I’d think it’d be oodles of fun. But then again, if I were to look at it in another angle, I’d think again. Of course, its not wrong to want to be rich. Who doesn’t want to enjoy life? But I suppose I can’t explain everything in every possible angle. I trust you’ll interpret my writing as I intended it to be. =) Haha. Anyway, many of us are considered very well-off. We’ve got a good home, good food, good clothes, good education – ain’t we so priveleged already? But at the same time, we must remember that those whom God blesses with extra, are also extra accountable to God for how they handle their God-given gifts.

Most of the time we end up keeping what we have for our own benefits. But sometimes, I am reminded that all that I am belongs to God. So what is there to fight for in this world? It’s really quite meaningless. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and on earth… All things were created through Him and for Him.” – Colossians 1:18.

That simply sums it up: We were created THROUGH Him and FOR Him. And our twinkle of hope in is God.

Last Minute Post

Here’s a quote I grabbed from Joyce’s blog. Who’d know she’d come across something like this??! Hahaha.

‘Each day I pray to God that your day would be beautiful, filled with much thoughts of me.'

Good grief, one would think that Joyce made it up herself. Ahaha. xD Just for laughs.

And oh yeah, this is a “last minute post” because I didn’t plan for it. (Yeah, I usually “plan” my posts, if you didn’t know. Otherwise how else would it be nice to read? Ha ha. :P)

Well, have a fabulous weekend then! ;)

A Teeny-Weeny Speck

Cheers, I’m back! =)

It’s been exactly one month since my last post! Felt kinda’ long, eh? Haha. Today, my grand “come-back” post would be about the latest recent movie I watched… And so, it turns out to be…

HORTON HEARS A WHO!

Ahahaha, that probably didn’t sound like the best movie pick, eh? But anyway, I didn’t go to the cinema to watch it. Honestly, “Horton Hears a Who” would have been LAST on my a-must-watch-movie list if I didn’t actually happen to be at my cousins’ house, who’s dad happened to have bought the Horton dvd that day. Haha. But surprisingly, this animated “Dr. Seuss” story-turned-movie somehow turned out to be hilariously entertaining!

“Horton Hears a Who” totally got me laughing! Although it was a real goofy show, it unexpectedly had some real good elements in it. Dr. Seuss’ stories are definitely fun and inventive. The last Dr. Seuss movie I remember watching was the one with a horrible white-faced cat guy in it. Haha. :P But this particularly story was one that I could think about.

“Horton Hears a Who” is actually about an elephant called Horton that discovers there are tiny voices coming from a “speck” in the air. The tiny “speck” turns out to be a world of its own, complete with civilized but odd-looking English-speaking creatures called the “Who” people. Horton tries to tell his friends about it, but no one believes him because as the story’s antagonist (a rather surprising character, if you see the movie) says: “If you can’t see it, hear it, or smell it, it doesn’t exist.”

At this point in the movie, I was somehow reminded that a lot of people also use this same view to argue that God does not exist. As a Christian, how do we ourselves know for sure that God exists in our lives? Since we don’t see God with our human eyes, and neither can we hear him audibly or smell him physically, what makes us believe that God is real? Hmm… now that’s something we have to be sure about.

As the movie played out, it became clear to me that the “speck” Horton discovered can also be applied to us. It reminded me that we ourselves are also somehow only a speck in the universe in contrast to the billions of galaxies and who-knows-what out there. But one of the lessons taught in the movie can be summed up in Horton’s quotable statement: “A person is still a person, no matter how small.”

Realizing how small and insignificant we are, we should still be reminded that God holds our world. Even the smartest and richest guy on the planet is accountable to God, because God is the Giver of all talents and giftings, all wisdom and intelligence. Our world may be a speck in the universe, but hey, God cared enough to create us with a right mind to think, free will to make even the littlest of decisions, and five senses to enjoy His world. And do you realize that everything alive around us is a miracle? You are a walking miracle. What more prove do you need to acknowledge the existence of a supreme Creator?

Horton got me laughing. Ha ha. :P