Excellence - The quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue.
Webster’s definition. Take it for what it’s worth. But I think it’s missing something.
This thought popped into my head as I walked back from my Thursday night history seminar, as I looked at my “C” on my history exam that was just returned to me. History’s not my forte. Anyway, as I was walking back, I started thinking about this concept of excellence. What is it? What does it take to achieve it? How do I act to realize it? After thinking about it for little while, I came to the conclusion that excellence denotes an aspect of selflessness.
The parable of the talents is a good one for my point. The master only said “Well done, my good and faithful servants” to the ones that gave the master the original amount entrusted them PLUS interest. The master saw excellence in these servants. And these servants experienced excellence, because they knew that they wouldn’t get anything out of their actions other than a big pat on the back. They did everything not for themselves, but for others, and were therefore excellent.
Recently I’ve been rather swamped with homework and such. I’ve had to make up for a week or two of goofing off in September, and I’m still feeling the effects of that. Luckily I have a pretty tight schedule that I’ve been following, and I’ve actually been doing rather well. I have good grades in all of my classes, yet I don’t feel excellent. Why? Just because I'm successful in this area, at least for now, doesn't denote excellence to me. I still screw up in other areas.
It's really amazing how events that transpired Thursday night were so closely related to this thought of excellence. I had to sit by myself on Cemetery Hill for an hour and a half to tend to a few matters, and to reflect on myself. I found out the answer that night as to why excellence wasn't a part of me. I became the very person that i vowed I never would become. I let the very aspect of me that I despise to overtake me completely. I became prideful. Selfish. Arrogant. I have to be on myself every day about my pride, and I became lax. Pride overtook my life without me even realizing it, to the point that I was actually in denial about it. I mistreated my friends and was completely self-seeking in most of what I did.
The absence of excellence was brought on by the consumption of selfish pride. It made sense when I thought more about it. Have you ever performed a service for someone other than yourself? Hopefully yes. Next question....were you expecting to get anything out of it for yourself? That's selfishness. There's nothing excellent about that. People may feel good about themselves because they help out at a homeless shelter once a year, during Thanksgiving or something. They do it so they can say they performed their good deed; so they can feel that warm, fuzzy feeling. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I really don't think I am. I know there are true philanthropists out there that truly sacrifice their time for others. Kudos. That's excellence.
I always enjoy holding doors for people. Barely a sacrifice, but I always feel excellent about doing it. But the reason that I experience excellence is because I don't do it for the feeling. I just do it because it's a service to someone else. It's to make THEM feel good. This is the excellence that I need to experience every day. How much greater would this world be if everyone strived for selfless excellence? There would be no need to worry about the self...because there would always be someone else there to be a humble servant. The world needs humble servants, not service with alterior motives.
What does this mean for me now? I have some things that I need to work on with God's help. Speaking of God, He's the reason I need to live this way. He's the ultimate role model; the ultimate servant-leader. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. True excellence, found in Mark 10:45. He didn't to it for attention or because it made him feel good. He didn't need to do anything to make him feel good...he was God! That should be a good enough feeling in and of itself. But he served others because it was excellent to do so. This is what I need to employ in my life. I need to get my eyes off of my own selfish desires and look to the desires of others. Think about it....I'm nothing. I'm not trying to blast myself or anything, but I truly am nothing. The Bible says so: "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11. In my own power, I have the power of a corpse. They don't do much besides lie in their respective coffins. I need God so that I can be excellent, because I can't do it on my own. No one can. I need to be excellent in all areas of my life. I need to be selfless to my friends, my family, and everyone around me. I need to be completely God-fearing in my actions. Even in my physical activities and my homework, I need to give it to God so that it can be excellent.
Bottom line: I need God. We need God. Excellence is impossible on one's own power. People may kid themselves by thinking that they can do it all. They look successful because of their house or car or status in life. One of my favorite verses has the answer for that, and it's the verse that I close this with.
Matthew 16:26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
Pursue excellence. Please.
