Mrs. Wester was one of the pillars of our church for so many years.  However, she is spending her twilight years in a care facility with an increasingly slipping memory. There is one little poem, however, that she hasn’t forgotten.  She reminds me of it each time I see her, and spurs me to excellence.

“Good, better, best. 
Never let it rest
Until the good becomes better,
and the better becomes best.”

Wisdom for Mrs. Loreon Wester

If I’m not careful, I can fall into a trap of settling for good instead of best.  I know that I am not alone.  In fact more people reside in the “state” of mediocrity than in the state of California.

The Maze of Mediocrity

I’m not sure why we settle for mediocrity.  I think it may be more of a combination of two reasons than any single reason alone.

Laziness.  Excellence requires intentionality and effort.  It’s easy to take our place in the middle of the pack, but standing out is difficult.

Apathy.  If we’re honest, our society rewards mediocrity, so we don’t care about excellence.  We have lowered standards in so many facets of life so that anyone can achieve them.  In fact, society views those who exceed the standards by too much as arrogant or strange.  

We don’t want to put out effort to be excellent so we created a culture that rewards laziness.

From Good to Better to Best

Recent ATT television ads have humorously reminded us that in some facets of life, just OK is not enough.  But the truth is, the Bible has challenged us a Jesus followers to be more than just OK for a while now.

“…so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…”

Philippians 1:10

So here is my challenge to you today.  

Pick one area of your life – maybe your marriage, faith, or job.  For students, maybe it’s a particular class.  Perhaps it’s your finances, a bad habit, or your health.  Choose an area that you must admit needs improvement.

Then, define what improvement looks like, and WRITE IT DOWN somewhere you will see it every day.  The more often in a day you see it the better.

Next, consider ONE THING you will do TODAY to move toward BEST.  Good and better may be STEPS along the way but they are not STOPS.  Write down what you will do TODAY.  Don’t procrastinate.  You can read more about that danger here.

So, get started.  What are you waiting for?  Never let it rest until you achieve BEST.

Thank you, Mrs. Wester.  I will not let it rest.