Our Best

Every week since the beginning of the year, I have been writing something on Sundays to share my faith and to encourage others. At the beginning, it was easy. I would brainstorm all week, put notes in my phone, and find the right Bible verses to go along with it. As the weeks went on and the days got busier, I found myself not putting my full effort into it. I had good ideas but I didn’t elaborate because I found myself reading through it and saying, “it’s good enough.”

It’s good enough. This phrase creeps into every single one of our lives at some point. A wise person in my life has opened my eyes to why being just good enough isn’t “good enough.” This week it was brought up again and it hit me because this time we didn’t just talk about one part of life, but every aspect of it and breaking it down to being the best creation you can be. Our God created us to not just be average or good enough, but to be our best. With everything we do in our lives, we should strive for that goal. So even if you are setting out to be a garbage man, you should be the best garbage man you can be. If math isn’t your strong suit and you are struggling in a class, you should try to be your best at it even if that means not getting an A on the test.

This conversation made me think about everything I do in life. Right now being in the midst of student teaching, I have been focusing on being my best in the classroom. Realizing that my “best” will change throughout the semester as I develop, I still want to strive to do my part each day to help the students learn and grow. Among that, I realized I need to be the best friend and listener I can be, the best family member and fiancé I can be, the best writer I can be, and the best Christian I can be.

If we aren’t receiving His best, it is probably because we are not giving our best. We need to seek Him with all of our hearts all of the time not just halfway, some of the time. We must be dissatisfied with mediocrity and put our 100% effort into pursuing Him whether it is through our family, finances, the way we talk, how much we pray, the good news we tell, the conversations we have with Him and others, the songs we sing to worship, or using the gifts He has given us to glorify Him.

This week I truly want to focus on being my best in every facet of my life. Instead of settling for good enough, I want to go above and beyond and be that person God created me to be. I challenge you to be your best and focus on just a few things in your life that you can change by simply giving all of your effort instead of just some.

“The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.” 2 Corinthians 5:5