As we stood side by side I began to look more closely at him. He looked sharp. He was well groomed with a good looking suit and shirt, and his shoes were well polished.
I reflected on my appearance.
I was wearing an older pair of pants with a sport coat that was a little tired and worn. My shirt was good – pressed, professional and stylish. However, my shoes were not well polished and were looking tired and worn as well. I needed a haircut.
It began to dawn on me as I stood beside this sharp-dressed man that I looked sloppy.
I had gotten a little lazy and was letting things slip. Compared to this business professional I was not on my “A Game” – at least as it pertained to appearance. This got me thinking…
“Where else have I allowed myself to become sloppy?”
Here is what I mean by sloppy: it’s not holding yourself to a high standard. It’s not insisting on excellence wherever and whenever possible. It’s being careless and lazy.
We can become sloppy in every area of life: in attitude, in speech, and in action.
Excellence is the opposite of being sloppy. I believe excellence is an attitude, it’s a habit, and it takes place in the details. Being sloppy is a refusal to hold ourselves, or allow others to hold us, to high standards. We sink to a low common denominator instead of intentionally stepping up and stepping into excellence.
Our excellence can be an act of worship. The Lord is worthy of our best, not our second best. He is worthy of excellence. We are encouraged in scripture, no matter what we are doing, to work at it wholeheartedly like we are working for the Lord. I see that as ensuring we work to a high standard, a standard of excellence – as an act of worship.
I find it’s easy to let myself slide into an “it’s good enough” mentality. What helps me to stay away from this slippery slope is surrounding myself with people who have high standards. Observing other men and women walk in excellence in various areas of their lives shines a light on the sloppy areas of my life. Their excellence encourages me to up my game.
Excellence applies everywhere. How we walk with the Lord; our prayer life, our study of scripture; how we serve; how we take care of our health; how and what we eat; our sleeping habits; what we allow ourselves to watch on TV, the internet, movies and videos; how we take care of our house and yard; how we maintain our vehicle; our work habits; our table manners; our personal grooming; how we talk to our wife and kids; how we monitor our thought life – we can allow ourselves to become sloppy anywhere in our life.
So, get honest with yourself right now, where have you allowed yourself to get sloppy?
Ask the Lord to help you to see 1 significant area in which you have gotten sloppy. There may be lots of them. You may be feeling overwhelmed by the gravity of your sloppiness, but don’t go there. Just pick 1 significant area and focus on that.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do you create a life of excellence? One step at a time. Pick one area and determine what excellence would look like for you. Ask for the input of others if you like. Or, observe others to learn from them. Then, take action. Do something differently. Make change.
We shift from sloppy into excellence one step at a time.
Ask the Lord to help you, and then offer your excellence as worship to the Lord. See your excellence as an offering to God, as your attempt to say, “Thank you Lord for your goodness and grace.” We are not trying to earn His love or approval, we are simply saying thank you with our best.
Have you become sloppy? Determine to offer your best to the Lord. He is worthy of your best in every area of your life.
Psalm 96:6-9
“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”
Revelation 4:19
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Proverbs 22:9
“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”
Colossians 3:23-25 (The Message)
“Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”