Articles
Striving For Excellence
“…that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10, NKJV).
Striving for excellence is not a goal to be achieved, but a pursuit. Pursuing excellence is always evolving because we are always growing. If we become stagnate, excellence will never be found. We are always in pursuit of excellence.
I love things done with excellence. I am disappointed when I fail. However, I must realize that I will never be satisfied because I will always be in pursuit. I keep expecting that perfect sermon. I want that song lead perfectly. I am waiting for the prayer to be without flaw. I want the building neat, clean and excellent in presentation. I want to be that person who is an excellent Christian. Excellence always alludes me.
I know people who cannot come to grips with anything less than excellence. If the preacher calls out the wrong passage, if the song leader is off in his pitch, or the man who leads prayer stumbles, then there is an immediate negative reaction.
If I expect excellence or nothing, I will get nothing. But if I recognize that we all are pursuing excellence, then, even if there are faux pas along the way, I can live with it. I don’t believe anyone sets out to do things sloppy. Some days it is just not going to be any better. It is just going to be a struggle. On other days everything just seems to effortlessly fall into place. Why? I don’t know. But whether the day is a struggle or easy, I still pursue excellence.
I want to be an excellent husband. Some days are better than others. I want to be an excellent dad. Some days are better than others. I want to be an excellent preacher. Some sermons are better than others. I want to be an excellent shepherd. Some days are better than others. I want to be an excellent writer, but some days are easier than others. I want excellence but, it is always allusive. Still I pursue.
Excellence is not so much about what I do, but my attitude. I can, everyday, determine in my mind I will do everything with excellence. Even if I do not get it done, I can still be satisfied that I tried to attain excellence. Nobody else may appreciate it, but I will.
Rickie
