“…you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold…” (Revelation 3:16)
Mediocrity is a warm blanket.
Mediocrity is a C+.
Mediocrity is “pretty good, but not great.”
Mediocrity is remaining with the bunch that finishes neither early or late, that turns in work much like everyone else’s, that is satisfied with “okay.”
Mediocrity is the head in the sand when the storm is raging around us. Just close your eyes and it will all blow over.
Mediocrity is being overly cautious when life-or-death decisions are being made. “Well, let’s give this some more thought.” “Let’s not be too hasty here.” “We don’t want people to think we’re extremists.”
There’s safety in mediocrity. We’re like everyone around us. We don’t stand out. No one criticizes us. They don’t even see us. We blend into the landscape.
Our English word mediocre comes from two Latin words, medi meaning “halfway,” and ocris meaning “mountain.” Somewhere there is a list of everyone who has scaled to the crest of Mount Everest. No one ever bothered to note those who got halfway up and turned around for home.
A constant temptation
As a pastor, I’m tempted to criticize those who choose mediocrity rather than daring, who play safe and avoid risks. Yet I am very familiar with that way too. As a pastor, I have been known to choose the conservative, safe way. The outcome I feared was not so much failure as criticism. I have refrained from taking a stand on a controversial issue for fear of becoming the focus of criticism. Or, I have wondered, is this caution actually maturity warning me not to squander hard-earned trust on some cause not worth the price? We’ve all seen foolhardy people who rush in where angels fear to tread, when they should have been quiet and stayed at home. Hard to know.