EXPOSITION:

I remember in my early years of schooling, I received termly reports on my academic performance from my teachers. Two things on the report were always anticipatory; my position in class after the termly exams and then the comments of my class teacher. I was always excited to see on the report that I had occupied the 1st position.

In haste, I would move to the class teacher’s comments section.

 Surprisingly, despite my 1st position, the comments would read: ‘Excellent performance, more room for improvement’. I was always taken aback with the belief that my teachers were not satisfied with my performance. It was later that I came to understand that those comments were meant to challenge me to be extraordinary and not complacent. Someone has said that the only room which is so big is the room for improvement.

In Luke 2:52, it is recorded that Jesus grew in wisdom. If the life and ministry of Jesus was exceptional, it was also due to his growth in wisdom. As youth we need to aspire to excel and go beyond the status quo. There used to be a saying that ‘the sky is the limit’, but others say ‘the sky is only the starting point’. Those who say the latter are neither greedy nor ungrateful. Once we have had humans go beyond the skies we cannot only aim for the sky. With hard work and diligence, there is always more room for improvement.

 Let us be geared to be acclaimed on the level of intellectualism, but with decorum and not through cheating, examination malpractices among others. We must excel by constantly improving upon our own previous performances.