The Idolatry of Excellence

In trying to write this blog, I have rewritten the opening lines to this paragraph several times.  You see I am a perfectionist.  If something doesn't sound right, I'll agonize over it until it I'm satisfied with it.  Sometimes this is a really good thing as it drives me toward excellence.  Sometimes, however, it is the exact opposite.  Because I'm such a perfectionist, I often see my mistakes before making them causing me to procrastinate on assignments and various other tasks.  In fact, one of the reasons why I write so infrequently is because I'm constantly trying to make the blog perfect and when writing I feel this great burden to offer some excellent insight that others can take away.  This is why this lenten devotion of writing every day has actually been quite burdensome.  It has taken me far out of my comfort zone since in writing every day I may end up writing something that may not be as good as the things that I've written in the past or somehow doesn't measure up to my idea of excellence.

Now I believe firmly that we should all strive for excellence.  That everything we do should be done to the best of our abilities and to the glory of God.  Proverbs 22:29 is very clear that excellence is to be desired and that we should work hard and hone our skills.  The problem comes in when we miss that second piece.  When we begin to do things solely out of our desire for excellence.  I wrestle with this constantly at school.  I'm always concerned with the grades that I'm going to get or how my professors view me.  I still remember one time where I was so concerned with my grade in a class that it consumed all of my thoughts.  The final project for that particular class especially weighed over me and it actually prevented me from even starting it.  Then one day someone offered me two pieces of advice.  First, sometimes done is better than good.  The second, instead of trying to figure out what the professor wanted I should ask myself what would be most beneficial for me in future applications as a pastor.  The first was a hard pill to swallow as it goes against every fiber of my being.  The second point, however, jarred me back to realizing the purpose behind the excellence.  Our excellence is meant for God's glory.  It is when the two are linked that excellence finds meaning.

I can't tell you how many times I've been up front preaching and I have this great burden to give an excellent sermon.  Indeed, if I'm honest whenever I sit in the congregation I expect to hear an excellent sermon.  It is no wonder that many pastors feel the same way I do when preparing for a sermon.  There is the knowledge that people in your congregation are anticipating a great sermon and will be let down if you fail to deliver.  When you do preach an excellent sermon, its wonderful to hear compliments and people coming up expressing gratitude for the message.  Unfortunately, something happens during that time.  Those compliments and discussions become your drive for preaching.  Those heartfelt expressions of gratitude become the measure of success.  It is no longer about preaching the word of God, but about being a great speaker.  It becomes about us.

Excellence is a great thing.  Indeed it is often commanded of us like when Jesus says in Matthew 5:49, "Be perfect, ... as your heavenly Father is perfect."  There are plenty of examples in scripture where excellence is even granted by God.  One of the most obvious examples of this is the story of Oholiab and Bezalel who were given great skills of craftsmanship to be used in constructing the items for the tabernacle.  Yet in the story of the Tower of Babel, excellence is seen at its worst.  It becomes about self-promotion and pride rather than about the Glory of God.  It becomes about making ourselves like God and thus no longer needing Him.  So the next time you're feeling anxiety over something that isn't quite perfect or you replay something over and over in your mind because you wish you could have done it better examine your own heart.  Has your desire for excellence turned into an idolatry of excellence?  May we strive for excellence for God's glory alone.