Defining Mediocre

me-di-o-cre (me'de o'ker), adj. neither good nor bad; of average or lower than average quality; ordinary; a mediocre book, a mediocre poet. [Mediocre comes from Latin words meaning "halfway up the mountain," not high or low.]

Good morning! It is Friday and I love the relief that comes with Fridays! (The instant reminder that the weekend in near; a chance to sleep in an extra 30 minutes or so, opportunity to do or not do whatever you want. )

I want to share with you why we chose, or I chose, the title for our blog Rising Above Mediocre. I was pondering over Proverbs 31 the other day. It states in verse 1 that it is the words of King Lemuel repeating the prophecy his mother taught him. So I can only imagine that his mother sat him down at one point and shared with him what a good woman looks like.

I have two sons. I watch the girls of today. There are very few I would approve of for my boys. Honestly, what mother wishes ill for their son? The verses from other chapters in Proverbs talk about a brawling, nagging, & complaining woman and how it is better to live else where or "hang out in the man cave until she is done ranting..." I do not wish that for my boys or my husband. Not that I am nagging or complaining, but there may be a few times that it would probably be best not to be around me...haha. (insert "oops" face here.)

I would like for my boys to find a Proverbs 31 woman to be their spouse one day. So, in order for them to know what one looks like I must tell them, but more importantly I must show them. And in the process of learning to be one myself, I can teach all my daughters the importance of the 22 points of the Ideal woman in Proverbs 31.

I read in my Study Bible that the final section of this chapter was written as an acrostic; that is each of the 22 verses (10-31) begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Written like a poem it introduces the 22 points of the excellent wife or the perfect wife, A-Z.

Here is the list I found and thoughts that I now ponder. How do I measure up? What would my report card look like, if I were graded on these very points? How do you measure up?

vs. 10-rare
vs. 11-trustworthy
vs. 12-constant in her love
vs. 13-industrious
vs. 14-thrifty
vs. 15-self-starting
vs. 16-enterprising
vs. 17-willing to do hard work
vs. 18-willing to work long hours
vs. 19- willing to do monotonous work
vs. 20-compassionate
vs. 21-prepared for the future
vs. 22-a good seamstress
vs. 23-married to a leader/looking to marry a leader
vs. 24-entrepreneur
vs. 25-not swayed by circumstances
vs. 26-wise and kind
vs. 27-duty-conscious
vs. 28-blessed by her family
vs. 29-not satisfied with mediocre
vs. 30-a woman of God
vs. 31-praiseworthy

What a list! I find that I am mediocre in some of these areas. And it is in these areas I wish to improve! I don't want to be mediocre. I know some of these points may seem far-fetched, but there is a reason they are in the Word of God. A young woman matching this description would definitely have my approval for my sons.

Here's hoping you find yourself above-mediocre, and if not, feel free to join us on our journey. I hope you all have a wonderful, God-filled weekend!

Mama D