Booker T. Washington said, “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” (p109) So, we all must live our lives, but it is HOW we choose to live them that makes all the difference. And to be God’s means we are different and so we live life differently. Different than who we used to be and different than the average person too. For instance, Mrs Meyer points to this situation: say you are at work but you are doing your own personal things on the computer. When the boss comes by, do you quickly shut it down and pretend to be doing actual work? She says, you might say, “Well, everyone else does it,” to which she quickly reminds us, “We are not everyone else!” If you have sincerely surrendered your life to Jesus, we are now children of God, who are supposed to reflect Him, not be like everyone else. We are supposed to help others come up higher too…but if we are doing what everyone else does, where is our influence for good? We must continually choose to live life in uncommon ways.
Mrs Meyer emphasizes that we do not seek to be excellent to get anything from God, but rather to reveal Him to those around us by reflecting His Excellent Nature. She says, “I’m talking about being excellent for one reason and one reason alone, because you love God!” God has already given us Eternity, and promises to be with us every moment of every day on our way to Heaven. He promises to protect us, provide for our needs, and to help us grow into His image, so we can enjoy and share the Abundant Life He has given us in Christ. We do not mature to buy God’s blessings. We mature to reflect the blessings He has already granted us. Do we understand this? We come to grasp this wonderful aspect of the Abundant Life the more we grow in Christ, and our lives become more fulfilling and joyful as a result.
One last practical thing about seeking excellence, she says, is to make sure we keep our word. If we SAY we are going to do something, then we must actually do it. Truth and honesty are a big part of being excellent, she reminds us. If for some reason you cannot meet the commitment, then call the person, try to make it right by providing another way to fulfill the commitment, but do not, repeat do not, just ignore it and do nothing. We must be like Jesus Who said what He meant and meant what He said. Sadly, this is becoming more and more uncommon in our world today, so I point us back to Mr Washington’s quote: “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”
14 Good Habits
Behavior 1: The God Habit
Behavior 2: Thoughts, Words and Habits
Behavior 3: The Habit of Being Decisive
Behavior 4: Healthy Habits
Behavior 5: The Happy Habit
Behavior 6: The Faith Habit
Behavior 7: The Habit of Excellence
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
