GROOVE OF GRACE
[ GOOD, BETTER, BEST! | Rick Cua ]
I can remember as a young boy looking at
on wasn’t yet fully cooked.
There was a time in my life where quantity was
a popular department store catalog and
competing with quality in a dangerous way.
seeing ads for merchandise that offered three
Because of our human nature we quickly learn
Volume was sometimes valued more than
buying options; Good, Better, and Best. The
how to settle instead of reaching for the best. We
holding to a high standard that didn’t allow
understanding was, if the quality rose the price
often wind up with less, not realizing that in our
for finishing early. Good enough may get you
would rise as well. Even at an early age I knew
haste we may have left something unfinished
through the door of completion, but it won’t be
that I wanted the Best. Why settle for something
that could have been great had we put more
enough to get you through the door of highest
that wasn’t as good as it gets. I believe it was
time into it and treated it as something worthy
opportunity. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you
during the time period of that realization that
of all we had. This is true in every area of our
see a man skillful in his work? He will stand
I first understood that everything wasn’t the
lives. Things as practical as our purchases and
before kings; he will not stand before obscure
Best, and excellence wasn’t guaranteed. Once
way more important, like our calling, mission,
men.” This is not about climbing a corporate
there was a delineation I immediately gravitated
and legacy. If we had just reached a bit higher
ladder, it’s about reaching the heights God has
towards excellence; wouldn’t we all? Of course
we would have achieved results that spoke of
ordained for each of us to finish the race well.
there’s always the question, is it really better?
excellence and not mediocrity. Doesn’t God
Philippians 3:14 makes it clear, “I press toward
How much is truth and how much is simply
deserve our very best? The truth is He does,
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
good marketing?
and He has given each of us the tools to equip
in Christ Jesus.”
ourselves for delivering exactly that.
In looking back at my own life it’s easy to see
Recalibrate yourself to leave “good enough”
the areas of my productivity where I finished
And how about our faith? The Word tells us to
behind and adopt a strong posture of upward
something too soon, stopping just short of
study to show ourselves approved and to be
thinking. Figuratively speaking, if you are going
making whatever it was the best that it could
like the Bereans, who daily searched the Word
to die on a hill, may it be a majestic mountain
be. This happened in my songwriting and other
looking for truth. Why do you think that is?
that taught you new things and will beckon you
creative endeavors as well as some of my
Knowledge for knowledge’s sake? No. It’s way
back, not that familiar low berm where average
relationships. It’s almost as if I said, “That’s all I
more important than that and can be summed
is widely celebrated. Drink in greatness and
got,” when in fact, and because of Jesus, I had
up in one word: application. Knowledge fueled
greatness will ooze out of you in every area of
so much more. I know it was also the lure of
by the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to carry
life. You can do it, because He said you can!
what was next on the agenda, looking ahead to
out our mission on earth. It gives us the ability
Push your Good to Better and your better
that next thing that I was ready to get busy on. I
to close the loop on what we started, knowing
to Best in everything you do. Be all that God
was like a horse at the gate, ready to get going,
that we completed that assignment having
wants you to be and know that the greatest joy
no longer concerned with what I was leaving
given God and others our very best.
will come from knowing that you gave God your
behind or the fact that what I had been working
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absolute best over and over again.
Nov Dec 2016
ChristianMusician.com