Aim for perfection.

II Cor 13:5, NIV (1978)

One thing we all desire for our kids is that they be successful; the trick is to figure out how to accomplish that feat. Peer pressure is very strong, especially in the teen years. As we all know, peer pressure tends to make kids want to be like everyone else, and being like everyone else is the very definition of mediocrity, not excellence. So, what can we do?

This is where the reward of a prize comes in. The apostle Paul put it this way:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run that you may obtain it. (II Cor. 9:24, ESV)

There is just something about the hope of a prize that seems to sharpen a young person's focus. We have all taken part in Easter egg hunts where we competed against the other kids to find the most eggs. If those eggs had money or some sort of little toy in them, then our focus became all the more intense. You can see it today when you watch kids in such a hunt. The moment they are let out into the area of the hunt, their attention and efforts are as sharply honed as any diver searching for the treasure of a long-lost sunken ship.

This laser like focus is what we need to teach our kids if they are to ever be truly successful. Think of the way that you can direct sunlight through a magnifying glass. The finer you can direct that light through the glass, the more intense the beam will become on the other side. When done properly, you can actually burn wood with the light beam. I can tell you that that was a big enough "prize" for me when I was a kid, as I must have burned my name or important message in a hundred pieces of wood while growing up.

This prize is not only a strong motivator, it is also that which will get kids to see that being part of the crowd is not always to be sought after. I remember when my youngest would run in the races on track day in elementary school. She was faster than her school mates (and I as a proud dad could instantly see that) but she was content to just ditty-bop along, looking from side to side at her friends, and stay with the group.

When she was in 5th grade, I told her that I would give her $5 for every race she won. The plan worked beautifully at first. She won the 50-yard dash; $5 dollars well spent! The she won the hundred and I was content my plan had worked. Then the 200 came with another victory and I realized the monster I had created. I was out $15 on a preacher's budget and the 400 was yet to come. In this race she was competing against a classmate that would later move to a larger school and compete in the 400 on the state level. While we didn't know that at the time, it was clear that she was the cream of the crop in this race, and not my daughter. But greed won that race, and I was out $20 bucks.  

When our daughter went on to compete at the state level in High school and the national level on a full-ride track scholarship, I realized that it was $20 well spent. I also learned something about the power of the prize when it comes to motivating people. Hopefully we can all see the power of the right motivation when it comes to instilling a drive for excellence in our kids. This same method works for adults as we can see from the passage above from the 9th chapter of II Corinthians. As we read on in that very passage, we find out that Paul is not concerned about a physical race but is talking about the motivation we all need if we are to be in heaven someday. 

And that motivation is all about focus, for it is talking about the absolute need to keep our eye on the prize if we are ever going to be able to obtain it by God's grace.

So, here is the conclusion: If we want to teach our kids to pursue excellence, we are going to have to show them that there is a great reward for doing so. In the absence of such motivation, peer pressure is going to eventually trap them into a life of mediocrity. But with the proper motivation, they will obtain a desire that will cause them to focus like a laser beam in such a way as to allow them to accomplish great things in the areas that they are most interested and adept in. I think we all would agree that the ultimate prize that any of us can be focusing on is the home in heaven that awaits those who can keep that focus on the greatest prize that has ever been offered to man.