Raising the Bar
No, in the case of this first photo, they kept lowering the bar when we were doing the limbo at our “Senior” Prom last week. What a fun time we had. But this blog is about raising the bar. I’m excited that our world has opened back up and the 2021 Olympics will be played starting July 23rd in Tokyo, Japan. One of the competitions will be the High Jump and the athlete who clears the bar at its highest level will be awarded the Gold Medal.
And, God sure set the bar high for us when He said words like this: “Love your enemies!” “Have peace in the midst of storms!” “Overcome evil with good!” “Be perfect as I am perfect.” “Don’t judge and you will not be judged.” “Have faith and don’t doubt.” “I’ve made you MORE than conquerors.” He didn’t give us much “just-get-by” wiggle room, did He?
I am always impressed by the high standards of those who live by character, credibility and honesty. Those who raised the bar in their lives and consistently “high jumped” it. At the Olympics there are judges that watch the competitors closely. The competitors can’t let their standards or their goals slide. All eyes are on them. But, truth be known, the most competent and watchful of all “judges” is our Father God. We may think we can let some standards slide or even slack off with our character, but the Judge of ALL judges knows and sees it all. God wants us to soar above the bar AND our circumstances, but, like the Olympic Committee and judges – the slightest error can compromise a medal.
God didn’t create us for mediocrity. He created us in His image — He makes the impossible, possible. He makes darkness, light. He makes can’t, can. There’s nothing mediocre about Him. So, His expectations for us are extremely HIGH! Why should we be satisfied with a just-get-by mindset, when we have a Father who is unlimited and abounding in love and favor toward us? And, if He didn’t think it was possible, He would have never set such high standards for us. Everything we do should be done with excellence. When we are asked to go one mile, whether it be in a job, a project, or a service, we should be ready to go the second mile, too. That’s raising the bar. Yes, our Father gives to us in an above-and-beyond measure, so His lead sets the bar high for us. It means we’ll have to stretch out of our comfort zone, but I promise you, the benefit of stretching gives us rewards beyond our greatest expectations.
There’s just something about being a world-class athlete that can shoot him or herself above that bar and conquer it. And, there’s just something about a God-class, solid, undaunted and unchained Child of God who doesn’t settle for “so-so” or settle for “just a little compromise”. We should be the standard for this world because we are bar-raisers. The higher we go and the higher we conquer then others will want to follow our lead!
God didn’t set the bar high so that we would fail. He did it to show how high He can take us! Let’s stop being satisfied with the status quo — let’s raise the bar and be all He destined us to be and do!