I recently had the joy of spending the weekend with family, including two of my little nephews. While I love the season of life I am in currently, hanging out with my five-year-old and two-year-old nephews did make me miss the joys of being a dad to little fellas.
We managed to wrestle, play in a tent, wrestle, go on a bike ride, wrestle, and go swimming. I am quite envious of the endless supply of energy that children possess. I remember when I had it too, but it only exists in my memory!
One thing that stood out to me was a comment my five-year-old nephew made while we were playing Wii. We were playing a track and field game and he wanted to show me how good he could do at a relay race game. That little dude had controllers in his hands and pumped his arms like he was truly running in the Olympics. Did I mention the boundless energy of a child?
The game showed a "world record" on the side of the screen that he so badly wanted to beat. The secret seemed to be having solid handoffs of the baton on the relay race to cross the finish line in as short of time as possible. The game displayed on the screen if each handoff was bad, good, or great.
He was finishing just fractions of a second short of the world record and was determined to break it. The game kept saying he was getting "good" (but not great) handoffs and he was frustrated by it. I encouraged him by saying, "It's ok. You are doing good!" He replied, "I don't want to do good. I want to do great." I loved the determination and dogged desire to be the best he could be.
When he said that, my mind went to Ecclesiastes 9:10 which says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." In other words, if it's worth doing, do it to the best of your ability. If you are going to play Wii, you might as well strive to get the best handoffs possible and set the "world record." (For the record, when his dad came up to the game room he helped him with a few tricks to get "great" handoffs and he did indeed break the record on his game!)
What about you? Are you striving for excellence? If you put your hand to the task, you might as well do it with all your might.
As you serve, teach, sing, disciple, evangelize, and minister, do it with all your heart. You don't have to be better than someone else, but you do want to make the most of all the Lord has given to you. Maybe someone else has more giftedness, resources, or opportunities. You are not responsible to compete with them, but you are accountable for what the Lord has entrusted to you.
Consider also these verses:
- Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
- Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men"
Maybe your greatest effort will make you the best in the world. Perhaps doing your best will still mean no one ever knows your name. No matter. When it comes to ministry and service, success is spelled simply: F.A.I.T.H.F.U.L.N.E.S.S. That's it...be faithful.
Whatever you decide to do in your life, do it as serving the Lord and not men. Do it with all your might. Do it for God's glory. And, do it with a thankful heart.
Along the way, don't neglect to seek good advice from someone who may know more than you. There may just be someone who has a tip or two that can help you succeed. Be humble enough to seek help and be holy enough to give God the glory.
___________________________________
If this has been an encouragement to you, you can share by clicking one of the buttons below. If you would like to request prayer for yourself or someone you are praying for, you can do so by clicking here .
Comments