Why would you settle for anything less than amazing? Why would you settle for anything short of breathtaking? Why would you accept a life of mediocrity? 

You have within you the very power to change the world. “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20) It’s not a joke. It’s not a hoax. You have, from the moment you were born, been equipped with exactly what you need to make a difference, to possess greatness, to change the world. 

The Bible tells us that God knows us even in our mothers’ wombs. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:5) Do you think those words were just meant for young Jeremiah? How foolish to believe the God of heaven and earth would restrict His great plans to great men and women. How do you think they became great? Jeremiah said he was too young. He questioned God’s choice. Moses hated public speaking. He had a stutter. He admitted as much in the Bible! He questioned God’s choice. God straightened them out real quick, and look what they accomplished.

You know what Isaiah said? “Here I am, Lord, send me.” (Isa. 6:8) You know what Mary said? Her reply was this: “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38) What about Abram? “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6) A very old man and his barren wife gave birth to a son who became the father of nations. Look, if you don’t know the story, let me recap really quickly. In Gen. 18, it says “Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.” What exactly is well advanced? If you look back a chapter, it mentions that Abram fathered a son (Ishmael) at eighty-six years old. So, the man’s already older than he should be for fathering children. Look a little further and you find that the man’s name was changed to Abraham when he was ninety-nine years old. We sing songs about him now, call him “Father Abraham.” He didn’t give birth to Isaac until after his name was changed to Abraham. And though Sarah may have doubted, Abraham never did. He knew what God was capable of, and in turn, what he himself was capable of through God.

God knew us before we were a twinkle in our parents’ eyes, as we say. He formed us from the dust of the earth. He knows every hair on our heads. He is the One who can count the stars and the grains of sand on the beaches. He is the One who set time in motion and who created the very sun and moon in the sky. By Him kings reign and princes govern.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God Almighty is the Creator of the universe? If you believe that God in heaven created all of this…with the words of His mouth (see Genesis 1)…then is it so hard to believe that He knew what He was doing when He made you? He knows exactly who we are and who He created us to be. And He prepares His children for the purpose He sets them out to accomplish.

I don’t think you understand the power you wield! The responsibility you’ve been given! God has granted YOU life! He has breathed the very breath of life into your lungs! Dare you waste that precious, priceless gift by wandering aimlessly throughout your life? Not only have you been given life, not only have you been given salvation, but you’ve also been given specific tools designed to propel you into becoming the most amazing version of you that you can be and to fulfilling the most incredible purpose and living the fullest life!

It’s not my intent to sound harsh, guys, truly. I’m just excited. So few people realize the potential burning within them. They’re scared, unsure, or just indifferent. That scares me! I don’t want to waste the gift I’ve been given. I’ve been placed on this earth for a reason. I have a purpose! I believe with all of my being that every single person on this earth has momentous capabilities. We could all be Martin Luther King Jrs. We could all be George Washingtons and Abraham Lincolns. We could all be Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburgs. I truly, honestly believe that every person could be the next Bill Gates, Bill Gaither, or Billy Graham. So, what’s stopping you?

Life has its rough spots. It really does. It’s one stormy sea after another. We’re all beaten down and we all reach rock bottom in one way or another, some of us reach it recurrently. We live in a broken world. I won’t deny that. But I do refute the idea that we can’t make this broken world a little better while we’re here.

I have God-given talents, God-given gifts, and God-given passions. I intend to purposefully use those to glorify my God. I intend to shine His brilliant light into the darkness of this world. Yeah, sometimes that will be difficult. Sometimes it will require sacrifice and sometimes it will hurt. Can I expect to be treated any better than my Savior was? He was beaten and scorned, mocked and ridiculed. But He had a purpose. He lived His life intentionally and chose to become the best He could be. He followed His calling and He paved the way for the world to be saved. Now, I’m no savior, but I am born of God’s love and a child of His great sacrifice. I don’t intend to waste that gift. I intend to maximize the opportunity I’ve been given.

Mediocrity. Settling for anything less than amazing. Settling for “just okay” is reprehensible. Are you barely skating by? Are you doing well, could be better, but can’t complain? You know what? I want to do great! I want to be outstanding, to be so filthy rich I can fund an entire village in an impoverished country without even thinking about the cost. I want to be so ridiculously happy I can spew joy and courage into the lives around me simply by being myself. I want to be so full of love and patience, gentleness and generosity, so full of blessings, they ebb from me because I am overflowing with God’s riches. But how do I get there? One step at a time.

The first step? The first step is to reject mediocrity. If you aren’t very, very careful, doing “just okay” will be enough to dull your vision of a brighter future. Doing just enough to skate by and live comfortably will rob you of the ambition and desire to reach for greatness. The first step is to refuse to be dragged down and drowned by mediocrity. You have to want greatness, to actively pursue it. You have to live intentionally. You’ll never reach thousands of lives if you don’t make a plan to do so. You’ll never become the best you that you can be, if you never chase after it.

If you don’t decide to map out your dreams and live them, no one will. No one will do it for you. Yes, life throws some curve balls and it’s easy to find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Yes, storms rage long and high and some nights feel endless and dark. Yes, more often than not it’s much easier to settle. You get far less resistance and far less criticism, far fewer scoffs and far fewer obstacles. But the reward is far richer and far more abundant when you persevere.

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but I’m here to beg you to push on. I’m here to remind you to persevere. Please, don’t give up hope. Don’t let go of that dream. It may feel perpetually just out of reach, but “failure only exists to the person who quits.” (Andy Andrews) Einstein said “You never fail until you stop trying.” Don’t give up the future you see. Dream big. “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” (Norman Vincent Peale)

Don’t settle. Don’t stew in mediocrity. Be the change you want to see. Dream of moving mountains. When you wake up, go find a way to put that faith into reality. Do whatever research you have to do to make yourself a mountain mover. Then make that mountain move.

“Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest—well, that is a choice.” (Andy Andrews)

What mountains will you move this year?

Love always,
Coralie