Being the best

I slept very late some nights ago. As it often is these days, my mind is preoccupied with the idea of success and failure (i.e. what it means to be either one of it). But something about what I had read earlier that night on my Facebook feed led me to realize one thing and that is people often think about success and failure but easily overlooks what's in between: mediocrity. But more on that later.

The next night, my husband imposed one new house rule: that we stop using our gadgets from 11PM-6AM everyday. He stressed the importance of having enough time to sleep but I knew he had in mind the fact that I was so weak the next day, I had to depend on a caramel macchiato to keep myself awake enough to attend a playdate.

At face value, that rule is very easy to follow. Drop whatever I was doing (which is really just checking on my social media accounts), sleep, and continue on the next day. But you and I know that it's not that simple. And as I reflected on my reluctance, I realized that the reason I was so hesitant to follow the rule was because my heart was not in it.

Then I remembered what I heard in church last Sunday about discipleship. The pastor said that the concept of following Jesus is really very simple. What makes it hard is because it is not easy to do. How many of you know that people, at the sight of any inconvenience, go and run for the hills faster than one can say RUN?

Applying that to my situation, the real deal is that I didn't want to give up my unligadget time at night.

And then I was reminded that when I married my husband, I vowed to submit to him all of me. I married him because I decided that he is the perfect man to lead me and my children in this life. I told myself that I will willfully and happily submit to his leadership. I may be inconvenienced by his rules, but I will follow him. That vow stands strong then, now, and forever.

Just as God is our Father, Ruler, and Lord of our lives, we should submit to His perfect will without any hesitations. We may not understand the purpose of all His rules, but we can be assured that it will only do us good if we follow it wholeheartedly until the very end, with no delays and no distractions.

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. 

- Jim Elliot

Translation: A person is not a fool to give up all the reckless ways of the world to gain eternal life by being good and following God.

If you're wondering what happened next, I did agree with my husband's imposition proposition to limit our gadget use. Not only because I have to (for the reasons I stated above), but also (and more of) because I decided to put my heart in order and set my priorities straight.

In the last few weeks, along with my thoughts on success and failure, I've also been concerned about how I do things and how for the longest time I feel like I'm living a life of mediocrity. And I decided that I am so tired of that. I am tired of being just in between. So from now on I'm going to be the best. I'm going to be a success.

But what does it take to be a success?

Being a success, in my opinion, means doing your very best, and not being successful as how the world perceives success, in each and every aspect of your life, whether it be at work, your finances, your relationship with God, your health, your relationships with other people.

So whether it's honoring one's husband's rules or deciding to really follow Jesus in your life or even the simplest thing like finishing a long overdue blog entry, let's be a success. Let's be the best that we can be in each role that we play. Let's be a success is each area of our lives. It's time to stop mediocrity and make the most out of this one life we're given.

Disclaimer: While I may be mediocre in some areas, I am at least proud to say that I've never been a mediocre wife or a mediocre mom. I've always given my family the best of what I can give; time, attention, love, and even material things. My husband says I am the best on where it matters most. And because he thinks that, I would like to think that I didn't do so bad.