I serve as a pastor on staff at a local church, and a lot of my focus is on the creative process. It can range anywhere from music, graphic design, stage and set design, building aesthetics and beyond. In my world, we are constantly using the word “excellence” to describe not only the expectation of people but also the mantle that God places on us as an acceptable offering of our gift’s and talents. We tend to throw statements out like “God is excellent and he calls us to excellence”. I have always struggled with this approach to life. I have a hard time adopting such a declaration over myself and the people that serve alongside me from a biblical perspective. Like many other organizations or ministries, we have a set of values that we want to guide and direct the culture of what we are doing. One of our values is stated:
“It’s about HONOR not EXCELLENCE; we will do our best to be our best.”
In my humble opinion, Excellence is striving for, where honor is living for. While some may claim semantics, I would claim language creates culture; “striving” and “living” have two very different outcomes in the culture of an organization, ministry, and household. Therefore, without further Aude (I heard fancy words draw attention) here is the comparison list you did not even know you were anxiously waiting for.
Honor: a cup of coffee with a friend
Excellence: an evaluation with a superior
Honor: a picnic in the park on a beautiful day
Excellence: finding a seat the first day of 6th grade in a packed lunchroom
Honor: ice cream on a summer day
Excellence: asparagus at grandma’s house (no offence to grandma, Grandma is great…asparagus, not so much)
Honor: enjoying your favorite super hero save the day yet again with a massive bucket of delicious butter soaked movie popcorn
Excellence: referring to said movie as “not very realistic” in which I would reply, really which part, the super strength, aliens, or flying… it aint a documentary… sorry, I digress.
Ok now here are some real comparisons.
Excellence: extremely good; outstanding
Honor: High respect; great esteem
Excellence: puts focus on me… my performance
Honor: puts my focus on you… my servant hood
Excellence: looks at perfection… image
Honor: looks at potential… heart
Excellence: Focus is on being like someone else
Honor: Focus is on becoming who God created you to be
Excellence: drives us to preference
Honor: drives us to purpose
With honor your success is not based on others achievements but on your God given potential. This revelation is both liberating and demanding at the same time. It teaches us that we do not have to compare ourselves to what the person next to us is doing we only have to compare ourselves to the potential that God has placed in us. Please hear me, you have an unbelievable amount of potential placed inside of you by an unfathomable loving God!
I hope you get the point I am trying to make. Honor is an expression of love and desire, excellence is a master full of demands and expectations that are changing by the minute. Let’s face it, if I was to pursue the level of excellence that was expected just 3-4 years ago it would in a lot of ways be old, ineffective, and overlooked especially when we are referring the world of the arts. Excellence moves fast and keeps us running full sprint on a treadmill with no end in sight. Honor on the other hand is timeless, always on trend and resting in the wonderful desire to serve the God we live for and the people we live with.
Throw off the heavy burden of excellence and put on the easy yoke of honor. It’s the Jesus call and the Jesus way.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-Matthew 11.28-30
Loved this! I choose Honor!!