Excellence or Nothing

Excellence or Nothing

The 18 year old joyfully shrieked to her mother as she read the letter from a prestigious university, “I made it. They have accepted my application.” “Yippee and Yippee some more,” she happily shouted. “I am so elated that I can’t put my feelings into words,” she gushed with great joy. He mother was also enjoying her daughter’s jubilation in being accepted by one of the most prestigious universities, but she added a note of caution as she submitted a motherly warning to her daughter, “It will take a lot of discipline and hard work to reach your goal of graduation. You will be entering one of the most demanding educational institutions in the country. It will not accept anything less than your best effort and success.” The daughter acknowledged her mother’s caution with a nod and a shrug which seemed to say, “I get it Mom, but I do not want to think of the hard work and mighty challenges in my future. I just want to celebrate for now.”

Reaching any really worthwhile goal takes dedication, commitment, and much hard work. Taking a less arduous path does not lead to great success and rewarding achievement; often it leads to nothing but mediocrity or less. In order for a student to achieve academic excellence or for an athlete to succeed in an athletic endeavor, the student or athlete must faithfully follow a code of conduct, which will include discipline, a mental outlook that overcomes disappointment and temporary setbacks, and an unwavering commitment to the ideal one wants to realize. No halfway, lukewarm thrusts will “make it happen.” There are no shortcuts to success when attempting to succeed in the most worthy and challenging endeavors. Also changing the rules to suit a less arduous effort does not work; the real goal will not be embraced.

As it is in the realization of academic success at a demanding educational institution or in an athletic event, when one seeks eternal happiness with one’s Creator, God, the need for discipline and a total commitment to the goal, union with God, are intensely demanding. No excuses will be accepted. The student or athlete who will not accept the direction and tools that will lead to achievement drifts into failure. The same holds true for the individual who says union with God is his goal, but refuses to follow the direction and admonishments of the Church founded by Jesus. One cannot cast aside the commands of God and His Church because they are inconvenient or do not match the cultural trends of the day. As demanding and challenging as are the roads to academic and athletic success, the road to heaven and happiness is even more demanding. There are no shortcuts to Heaven…none….none.

G.K. Chesterton succinctly stated, “”The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” Are you going to be the Christian who leaves it untried and fails to achieve the ultimate success, happiness with God? As it is true for the student and the athlete, there are no shortcuts or rule changes on the road to heaven. The consequences of the failure to follow the direction of Christ’s Church are the failure to attain eternal happiness with God and the experiencing of the worst failure…. nothingness…the ultimate nothingness, forever.

Suggested Reading:

“What’s Wrong with the World”, G.K. Chesterton, Ignatius Press  Chapter five

 

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