A life of excellence? Hm what does this entail I kept asking myself. I searched dictionaries to understand exactly what excellence is. Some of the definition I came across were; an outstanding feature, of the highest quality, exemplary performance; exceeding normal expectations of performance, performing well in excess of the norm; outperforming most.
I am still left with a sense of dis-satisfaction with these definitions. It all seems to be measuring a person’s performance to a set of human standard. Particularly as a Christian, should my performance or the quality I exhibit be to meet my fellow human being’s standard? For what? To feel a sense of achievement? To amass accolade from my fellow human being? To feel important? For whom? Myself? To leave a legacy for my children?
I kept asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten me. As a Christian, we know that we are created for God’s pleasure. We did not create ourself but we are all created by God, who has a plan and purpose for us even before we came into this world. He gave us free will yes, but He expects us to willingly worship Him with all our heart, your soul and strength and obey His commandment, only then would we live in line with His plan and purpose for our lives.
As I ponder on this, I suddenly remember a book I read titled ‘A life well lived’ by Charles R. Swindon and everything fell into place. We can’t live a life of excellence without God. Our excellence is not from the work of our hands but through the gifts that God gave us when He created us and His grace upon our life. A life of excellence is a continuous process of living a life of complete obedience to God, a life of virtue & integrity, a life of servitude to our fellow human being, a life of humility, a life of demonstrable peace and bringing joy into people’s life. We might not be in a position of authority, have amassed material wealth or academic achievement. But a life that has profound positive impact in the life of all those that enters your life at different stages, not because of any material giving but through the content of our character. A life that influences others to give their life to Jesus Christ.
Charles R. Swindon asked God in one of the best/worst seasons of his life; ‘ What do you expect of me?’ He found his answer in Micah 6:8; ‘He has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you. but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.’ This encapsulates for me what a life of excellence entails;
v Doing what is right, irrespective of the circumstances and challenges. This forms the core of integrity and a virtuous character. Even when you are perceived as ‘holier’ than thou, looked down upon and ridiculed, you know that God approves and rewards your faithfulness.
v Loving and demonstrating kindness to all those that cross our path. Kindness requires us to empathise with others, show compassion, and have a forgiving heart. Cultivating a kind heart is a challenge, yet as Christians we are expected to love our neighbours as ourselves. No matter our cruel people treat us, we must not repay evil with evil. we must remember that God will judge each person individually by your actions. We won’t be able to give excuses. Let God be the judge of other people. I learnt so much from King David. He always reports people to God. Our responsibility is to show love and kindness at all times
v Walking humbly with God by submitting ourself completely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to teach us and transform us inside out. We must be willing and ready to demonstrate humility in all areas of our lives. This requires us to see and treat others as better than ourself. We must learn to readily accept responsibility for our mistakes, never gloat when we are proved right, never demand our rights, accept constructive criticism, desire and learn to grow from our failures, listen more than be listened to and never respond to anger with anger.
All these might seem like a tall order but a life of excellence is a process which we must strive for continuously all the days of our life. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, when we demonstrate these three qualities not only would we bring pleasure to God, but our fellow brothers and sisters would see qualities of excellence in us. And we would then be truly ‘ the light of the world’ and ‘ the salt of the earth’.
By Adeola Akintoye
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