First Blog

Aim for Excellence

“As serious Christians, we ought always to strive for excellence, but must also remember that excellence is not the same as perfection. Aiming for excellence involves our doing all things to the best of our ability, always to the honor and glory of God—it’s “my utmost for His highest.” Aiming for perfection, however, usually involves covering up one of our own insecurities for our own satisfaction, or working for someone else’s approval or applause. One could be an excellent college student in putting in many hours of study yet receiving a mark less than one hundred percent, say, because the exam was extremely difficult or because the student, though having put in the effort, could not grasp a key concept or two. Her mark isn’t perfect; but she maintains excellence in effort, attitude, and even outcome, having done her best to God’s glory. 

The Prison of Perfection

Or consider a budding filmmaker or aspiring author: In some ways, a film or book is never a complete project. There is always “one more tweak” that could improve the color correction (in the case of a video), or the flow of the chapter (in the case of a book). There is no film or book that is perfect—nor will there be on this side of eternity. But, having put in earnest hours and having applied sufficient effort, skill, patience, and even prayer on the project (e.g., video, song, book, speech, social media advertisement, etc.)—one might well produce an excellent product without worrying about the literally impossible standards of perfection. Excellence, for the serious Christian, ought to inspire joy, as we work for God, and peace, as we feel His pleasure. Perfection brings a prison of shame, insecurity, and self-disappointment—if ever we even allow ourselves to put out the piece in public. Aim for excellence and you will work in freedom; aim for perfection and you will never be satisfied, let alone productive.”

Excerpt taken from Ch.1 of Calling: God’s Blueprint for Your Life by Richard S. Park