Quite some years back, when I was a secondary school boy, I joined the Boys' Brigade. Being with the Boys' Brigade taught me many things, it taught me about fear, which evolved into a healthy respect for authority; it taught me about friendship, which evolved into my best buddies in life; it taught me about discipline, which evolved to respecting myself and others; it taught me about responsibility which brought growth in my life and it taught me about my talents; which evolved into my capabilities.

A good portion of my time in the Boys' Brigade was spent faced down towards the floor. Why towards the floor? They called it push up, a good physical training for a boy. And to be honest, my training in National Service had lesser time with the floor than when I was in the Boys Brigade.

Thinking back, It felt as if I wasted a lot of time trying to polish my boots. Burn the kiwi they say(OK, we are not referring to the ‘Kiwi’ animal, but instead to the Kiwi Shoe Polish), melt the kiwi they say. Swirl it with a finger they say. Coat it again they say. Repeat the all steps they say. However, every time there was a uniform inspection, that officer or senior will shake his head and say (at least to me), "You didn't polish your boots enough" and I will be facing the floor again. I hated it. Sweaty shirt sticking to my body, hot burning floor, spectacles sliding off my face, irritating itch on my nose, kiwi stained fingers and aching arm muscles. All of that, despite me thinking that that my boots were polished and that it is alright.

Looking back, I see how God took care of me. I found myself becoming an officer during national service. I then found myself becoming an officer within the Boys' Brigade. I then found myself working within a well-known Multi-National Company (Which honestly I felt pretty amazing). And now I am sharing this thought of the day. While reflecting on this topic of excellence, I thought of my life journey and it reminded me of some experience that I thought was really bizarre. The experience of being punished even when I tried my hardest. The experience of being treated as a failure when my performance was good. The experience of rejection when I knew I was the better guy. It then dawned upon me a surprising fact of life! "You know, sometimes, you will never be good enough for some people, even when you are perfect".

So listen carefully. Never let that person who thinks you are not good enough define you. Remind yourself this simple truth, God loves every one of you and you are fearfully and wonderfully made by him.

So don't be discouraged when you fail, are punished or rejected. Instead, let that fact push you on to be better. Just like the quote i heard from a young boy, "I learnt that it isn't about being good enough but it is being the best you can be"

So give that little extra effort in everything you do
Maybe for some of you, it is arriving on time
Or greeting the next person you see with a smile
Or patting your friend on the back on a hard day and telling him, it is going to be ok
Or controlling your tongue and not spew vulgarities but instead, encourage someone with your words
Or telling your parents that you love them or appreciate them

A personal example: One of the things that I found attractive when I was dating my then girlfriend (who ended up becoming my wife) was when she took the extra effort to clear my trays after our meal in McDonald's. When I saw that, it reinforced my desire to marry her, and now we are married. I am not saying that you should marry the girl who picks up after you, though it is a plus point when you choose a girl but I am just trying to say that my then girlfriend gave a little a little extra of herself at that moment and that kind of changed our lives.

1 Thessalonian 5:15 to 18 says "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

As you can see, those little extra efforts in excellence that you think may be insignificant are actually what make a difference not just in your own life, but in the life of others.

This then is the Thought for the day:
“That little extra good goes a long way”

Let us pray.

Dear Father,
Give us the discipline not to be discouraged at how people think of us but instead give us the wisdom to know what little extra we can give and also give us the courage to give that little extra in the hope to make our time in this world more meaningful.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN.