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There was a valuable lesson to be learned from the Ranger’s victory last night.
Excellence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
It was unbelievable. The game was between the two best baseball teams on the planet…on the biggest stage on the planet… for the greatest championship on the planet. And what did we get? One of the worst examples of great baseball ever put on display.
There were mental mistakes and poor judgments and absolute head-scratchers. Horrible pitching and crazy strike outs and foolish base running. The Cardinal’s coach (who is one of the greatest ever) was guilty of some of the lamest decision-making of all time…and Ron Washington, who could be my favorite manager in the history of baseball…explained that he was “just hoping to get lucky” with one of his coaching pearls!
And it was still one of the most wildly entertaining and amazing baseball games I have ever watched…full of incredible skill and focus and mental toughness…by some of the most gifted and amazing athletes of our day.
Go figure.
That’s how baseball go. (Thanks, Ron.) And it’s a whole lot like life. Sometimes we make horrible mistakes. Sometimes our plans get so screwed up, we can’t even find a way out. Our best efforts fall short. Way short. Our work yields no fruit or our dreams just fizzle.
Looking back over my life, I think I’ve wandered up close to excellent a couple of times…maybe enough to sniff it or watch somebody else take credit for it…but for the most part, I’ve camped out closer to pretty good most days.
I think we should always try to give our best, no matter what we are doing. It’s a matter of honor. It’s a matter of integrity. It’s a matter of worship. It’s a matter of gratitude.
But make no mistake. No matter how close you think you are getting to excellent, you are not coming anywhere close to the image and example of Jesus. Even though your performance may be praise-worthy, your heart still needs to be rescued. Daily.
And that’s right where you need to be.
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