They say confession is good for the soul. OK. Then I need to let you know. I am a recovering perfectionist! There. I said it. Ingrained in my mind is the fact that there is a right way to do everything, and that ought to be our goal. This may have come from my dad telling me, “Son, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Why are you doing it the wrong way?” People who have worked with me are probably chuckling to themselves. They have had to put up with me asking (Telling? No, asking…) them to do something again. It needed to be right.

Actually, I prefer the term “practical perfectionist.” You see, as I look at what I do, and at life, work, and ministry in general, I realize that perfection is not achievable. At least not every time. I know I miss the mark over and over again. And I am grateful for a God of grace as He sees my imperfection and still allows me to be His servant.

A practical perfectionist realizes that perfection is not the ultimate goal. A practical perfectionist resonates with the wisdom of the legendary National Football League coach Vince Lombardi:

“Perfection is not attainable,

but if we chase perfection,

we can catch excellence”

When we begin to accept less than the best, it’s like taking our foot off the accelerator. We begin to coast, and we lose momentum toward excellence. And Aristotle clarified what excellence is:

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives—choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

Yes, the practical perfectionist has to learn to live with things that are not completely perfect. But that doesn’t mean that person must lower his or her standards. Lowering standards just starts the spiral downward, and soon things that are critical and important suffer.

How do you start the spiral up? How do you reverse a trend of mediocre work and achieve excellence? Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, gives us a clue. “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.”

The most prolific writer of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, talked of excellence when he commended the Corinthians. He wanted to expand their path to excellence.

But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also.

2 Corinthians 8:7 ESV

As I see it, the pursuit of perfection is only a pathway. It leads to excellence. While we may stumble on that path…not be perfect…we can still seek perfection in order to achieve consistent excellence.

All of this is under the umbrella of why we do anything. We do it as unto the Lord…who is both perfect and excellent.

God’s best…