Thoughts on Excellence

Excellent. Distinct. Noble. Superior.

These words put a glint in my eye. I want to be an excellent woman. I want to be a noble wife. I want to be a distinguished daughter of the King.

Today, I found myself feeling very superior to a couple of fellows in my weight training class who spent the entire time trying to slack off. They rested for several seconds between repetitions and constantly glanced at the coach to see if he noticed that they weren’t working. Not me. I’m an ambitious weight-training Amazon who would bench press 200lbs if my body permitted. (I like to think that I bench-press that much in spirit with the amount of zeal it takes me to lift my measly 75-80lbs.) I left class feeling smug and pondering about the drive that makes me want to excel. I vaguely connect it to the charge in Colossians 3:23:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Growing up, I was taught to work hard because God is watching and working hard glorifies Him. (The historic “Protestant work-ethic”, if you will…) As Christians, the way we work is unique and sets us apart from the world.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. -Philippians 2:14-16

How often do you come into work only to hear the grumbles from your coworkers? Every little inconvenience, every unkind thought is accentuated and rankles like a thorn scratching through a garment. “Oh…I so don’t want to be here…I can't believe that she...” “Why do they make us do it this way?” “This is so pointless…”

Working hard, without complaining or second-guessing God’s good plan is what makes us shine. As CEOs (and janitors!) it’s not just that we DO the work of our households…it’s that we do it joyfully, knowing that God has given it to us. Yes, even menial jobs like laundry and dishes should elicit thankful hearts.
(I say “should” because I see the thanksgiving in theory: “ie: God has given me clothes and even a washer and a dryer for my convenience…I live in an age and country where I don’t have to put my hands in a boiling pot of lye to have clean, pest-free garments…” but, I don’t always feel a deep sense of thanksgiving at the prospect of tackling my never-ending pile of laundry.)

Okay. But laundry aside…what I wanted to say is that I missed the most important part of these passages in my self-satisfied muse this morning. I was rereading them this evening and discovered that all of these images of greatness and excellence of shining like stars and having the rewards of being God’s children are surrounded with commands to be humble.

So...we're supposed to be great. But humble about our greatness. As my husband would say: "Buhwaa?"

Philippians 2 begins with an exhortation to put on the humility of Christ as we interact with each other.

So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…

Wow. Thanks Paul. That’s an ego buster for Ms. MuddledMuse right there. If I really want to excel for Christ and not for myself, I have to get rid of my personal, competitive measuring sticks. Working for the Lord means looking to Him for approval – not looking to the side to see how you think you measure up.

It reminds me of The Horse and His Boy when Aslan reminds both Shasta and Aravis that they are not told the stories of others – they only need to concern themselves with their personal response and relationship to Aslan. Or, alternatively, when Christ silences Peter when he questions the fate of John (John 21:20-22): “What is that to you? You must follow me.”

Today, I felt smug because I was comparing myself to the other students I thought were slacking off. But what is that to me? I am called to glorify God by working cheerfully without comparing my efforts to others. I don’t know their stories or their hearts. But God does, and that should be enough. (Alternately, what do I care about how often someone else gets their laundry done…or how clean their kitchen is…? If the state of my kitchen and pile of laundry is glorifying God…then that is enough. BTW…now that I think of it…neither are particularly glorifying right now! Eeeek.)

Comparisons inevitably lead to rivalry which disrupts peace and charity. Pride is the antithesis of Love which is the foundation for the fruits of the spirit.

Colossians 3:12-15 shows how the spirit enables us to have cheerful and willing attitudes to do the work of the Lord, for the Lord.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Charity covers so much—when we are working our hardest to glorify God without comparing ourselves to others, we can sympathize and help each other so much more. I know my pile(s) of dishes and laundry don’t measure up– how can I judge your pile(s)? I don't know what He has put on your plate this week...or what other work he might be calling you to. The knowledge that we are imperfect, and yet loved by a perfect Lord, leads to acceptance and strength—not apathy. That’s the mystery of being excellent and yet humble. Noble, yet meek.