Beyond ‘Good’

There’s a big difference between ‘excellence’ and ‘good’. Like I wrote in the blog ‘The Mystery of Experiences’, excellence is the point beyond ‘good’: Good things sometimes bear flaws. Excellent ones leave men with no breath left within them.

Home’s gate was sprayed black. It was sad I wasn’t around to supervise. When the painters finished spraying the two gates and the garage, they left the concrete stained with the residue of the black oil. It had poured across the pavers and extra had strayed onto the white walls. Essentially, the painter was meant to cover the parts where paint wasn’t meant to get spattered.

It’s like covering floors with polythene, so that we don’t only save the tiles from stains, but avoid double work: cleaning the paint off. These laborers never bothered to do that. Thus, what was good, suddenly had a ‘but’ following.

Immediately, I overlooked the ‘good’ work done. I was disgusted. The work was overshadowed by the mistakes and shoddiness the sprayer had splashed. This had nothing to do with perfection or OCD; anyone who owned property and saw that wouldn’t enthusiastically pay off the painters. Even if the rusted gates they had colored, someone wishes they hadn’t done the work in the first place.

In conclusion, don’t just do a good job. Do an excellent one! Don’t do the dishes and leave water across the sink. Wipe it clean lest your mother ignores your hardwork and scolds you. Don’t just cover the bed. Straighten the first sheet, and the second, then lay the blanket well on top. Don’t leave the bar soap in the water. Don’t sweep dirt and hide it under the carpet or sofa. Rinse the trashcan thoroughly after the rubbish collectors have emptied it. Use steel wool and vinegar for pans not sympathising with any stain or grime.

I could go on and on. But I’ve learnt that it’s through such minute matters that we get exercised of the excellent spirit. When we prove faithful, we get entrusted with more: not just more ‘minute’, but grander. Let us examine this text;

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. (6:3)

Because Daniel was with an excellent spirit in a lesser matter, it elevated him so much that the king sought to place him in a higher position. We have young chaps who can’t clean the compounds they reside in thoroughly, and yet they ask God for their own lawns spanning yards and yards.

We can’t pay (or contribute) electricity or water bills for the houses of the parents we stay with, and yet we want God to give us our own houses! We can’t excellently look out for our siblings, and yet we want God to give us children of our own! We can’t respect nor honor our fathers and mothers; and yet we wonder why we haven’t landed ourselves spouses, or kept them. We have failed to keep our word, and we wonder why men deal with us dishonestly.

We don’t give our best passionately, and we wonder why we aren’t getting promoted, let alone being recommended. Try to be excellent, and see if you’ll ignored!

I’ve observed that the excellent spirit is an entity of its own. Always monitoring. Always analyzing. Always seeking to promote, whoever is worthy and has proven him or herself in matters less. The trick is simple: in all you do, do it as unto the Lord. Perfect it so much that whoever beholds it has no breath left in them; and you’ll see that stagnation will no longer be a problem.

Take note of the description the excellent spirit has given us of excellence: no breath left; no room left for any lingering comment. Because if one said they cleaned the house, and they only mopped the floor; once you see dusty cabinets and a TV set, plus some cobwebs dangling in between and under the settees; an unsatisfied mantle will mount you.