A few years ago when corporate America was emphasizing excellence in the workplace a story was circulating about a widower who had for years been eating at the same restaurant. On this particular night, he sat down at his usual table and his waiter, as usual, put before him, as usual, a bowl of chicken soup.
As he started leaving, Mr. Smith called out, “Waiter!”
“What?” said the waiter.
“Please taste this soup,” said Mr. Smith.
The waiter frowned. “It’s the chicken soup you always have,” said the waiter.
“Taste it,” said Mr. Smith.
“Listen, Mr. Smith, in all the years you have eaten here, did you ever once have a bad bowl of chicken soup?” asked the waiter.
“Waiter taste the soup!” said Mr. Smith.
“All right, all right, Mr. Smith, I’ll taste it . . . So, where’s the spoon?”
“Aha!” replied Smith, “That’s the question. Where is the spoon?”
After telling this story, Glenn Van Ekeren, adds this observation for business owners; “Fancy products, gimmicks, and catchy slogans are not facilitators of excellence. Tasty chicken soup without a spoon rarely impresses anyone. If you want excellence, pay attention to the little things.” (1)
Some of you will remember the name Cathy Rigby. Ms. Rigby was an Olympic gymnast who went on to become an actress. You may not remember her as an actress, but she starred in a production of Peter Pan which was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. She also appeared in the 2012 movie McKenna Shoots for the Stars. Before that, however, she was the most popular gymnast of her time. She competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics but was hampered by an injury. It seems that, prior to the Games, she had been working on a “front aerial walkover”—a balance-beam skill that was quite risky for the time—but, because she was injured, she did not attempt this move during the Olympics, and consequently she did not win a medal.
Before the games began, she prayed for strength to move through her routine without making a mistake. And she did perform well, but she did not win. Emotionally, she was crushed. She joined her parents in the stands, ready for a good cry. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I did my best.”
Her wise mother uttered ten words that Cathy says she will never forget. “Doing your best,” said her mother, “is more important than being the best.” (2)
Those are words many of us need to remember: “Doing your best is more important than being the best.” In any field of endeavor only one fortunate person can be the best, but every one of us can do our best.
In today’s lesson, after Jesus had taught and healed and cast out demons, the people said about him, “He has done everything well.” People were drawn to Jesus. They were inspired by him. They saw in him a power and a purpose and compassion far beyond anything the average person possessed. “He has done everything well,” And I have to ask myself, “Can others say that about me?” I claim to be a follower of Christ. And not just a follower—I claim to have the spirit of Jesus Christ living in me. So, when people look at my life, or your life, are they inspired to say, “He (or she) has done everything well?”
What is the recipe for excellence? Does it require great skill? Great character? Great vision? Great leadership? Who do you look to as an example of excellence in all areas of life? Chances are that person is somebody who knows what it is to give his or her very best.
Giving your best means a radical commitment to doing the very best you know in everything you do. In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell writes about what he calls the 10,000-hour rule. The rule basically says that it takes around 10,000 hours of practice before somebody becomes an expert at something. He found this to be true anywhere from professional hockey players to tech tycoon Bill Gates. (3) How do you get to be the best? It may take 10,000 hours.
Pastor and prolific author Warren Wiersbe tells of attending a concert by the noted composer/conductor John Rutter—a concert in which Rutter did something that surprised Wiersbe. After the applause had ceased following a choral number, Rutter turned to the audience and said, “Do you mind if we do that one again? I think we can do better.” Wiersbe said he was stunned. The first performance had seemed excellent to him, but obviously, the ear of the gifted conductor heard something that the audience had missed. “The choir sang the song again,” says Wiersbe, “and Mr. Rutter seemed pleased.” (4) John Rutter wouldn’t settle for anything but his best. It’s true of outstanding people in nearly any field.
In a small book titled God’s Little Devotional Book for the Class of 2000 there appears a story about Jack Katz, a large lineman during the early 1960s on the University of Florida football team. The team was in a practice session, running wind sprints for conditioning. Katz had proven himself to be the fastest lineman on the team, but he wanted to be the very best he could be.
So Katz went to his coach and asked if he might be allowed to run sprints with the faster and smaller running backs. The coach was probably amused at his request, but permission was granted. For the next several days, Katz managed to finish last in every race with the backs. No shock there. So the coach went to Katz to ask if he wouldn’t rather go back to running against the other linemen than lose every race against the running backs. Katz responded. “I’m not out here to outrun the linemen. I already know I can do that. I’m here to learn how to run faster and if you’ve noticed. I’m losing by a little less every day.” (5)
Giving your best means a radical commitment to doing the very best you know. The late motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells a story in one of his books about the famous explorer, soldier and writer Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh attended a prestigious boarding school when he was a youngster. He was an excellent student and wanted to be number one in his class.
However, one lad always finished ahead of him, so he determined to discover the other boy’s secret. Each night when he prepared for bed, he looked across the grounds that separated his room from that of his competitor and noticed that his rival’s candle was still burning. One night he noticed that the other boy studied only about fifteen minutes longer than he did. After that, Sir Walter Raleigh studied an extra twenty minutes every night. At the end of the year he was the number one student. (6) That’s what I mean by a radical commitment. A passion burned within Sir Walter Raleigh to give his very best.
Now, let’s think about our commitment to Christ. You and I are not saved by our works, I want to make that clear. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Still I wonder if we will not someday stand before the throne of God and be asked that most terrifying of all questions, “Did you do your best?”
I realize that we are only human. We are not Jesus. None of us are going to do “everything well.”
Nevertheless, the call to follow Jesus Christ is a call to be the very best that we can be. Is it not possible for a generation that prizes excellence in business, and excellence in sports, and excellence in the arts to think in terms of excellence in living? The call to follow Christ is a call to set lofty goals. For example: to be the most loving human being possible. That would be a worthy goal, would it not?
In his recent book The Road to Character, journalist David Brooks notes that most people cultivate two sets of virtues, one he calls our résumé virtues and the other he calls our eulogy virtues. He writes, “The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace.” In other words, the virtues that you list on a résumé. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral—whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. How you treated your family and friends. Were you capable of authentic love?
“We all know that the eulogy virtues are more important than the résumé ones,” writes David Brooks, but our culture and our educational systems spend more time teaching the skills and strategies you need for career success than the qualities you need to radiate that sort of inner light. Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character.” (7)
David Brooks is correct. Our culture rewards résumé virtues, not eulogy virtues. We want to be successful. We want to fit in. Jesus was not motivated by either of those needs. He lived in the Father’s will. Everything he did was done by the calling of God, in the will of God, for the purposes of God. No wonder he stood out. No wonder crowds followed him. No wonder he changed so many lives. Now imagine how our lives would look if we were motivated in the same way.
Writer Doug Bender shares a moving tribute he discovered while visiting Medellin, Colombia. In the middle of town, there were numerous statues celebrating Medellin’s greatest leaders in art, politics, business, the military, and other fields. But the first statue in the square is of a relatively unknown judge. On the base of the statue is a plaque that reads like this in Spanish, “In a city full of corruption this man did what was right.”
As you probably know, Medellin is known for harboring dangerous drug cartels. The wealth and violence of the international drug trade have also fostered corruption among the police and public officials. This particular judge was so respected for his incorruptible character that the city of Medellin commissioned a statue to honor him. (8)
“In a city full of corruption this man did what was right.” This was a man who put eulogy virtues before résumé virtues. He did what was right. That would be a lofty goal, wouldn’t it—to be the most honorable human being in our community? To be the most loving in the community? To be the most generous? That is the kind of life Christ calls us to. The call to follow Christ is the call to set lofty goals for our life.
To put it simply but directly, following Christ is modeling ourselves after him. W-W-J-D. You’ve heard those initials before. What would Jesus do? How would Jesus approach the needs and challenges of our neighborhood? Of our workplace? Of our family? How would Jesus rearrange our priorities or our schedule? What would Jesus do if he spent 24 hours in our world? People were drawn to Jesus. They were inspired by him. His character, his priorities and his goals revolved around doing the will of God and revealing God’s heart to the world.
In 1950, Father Emil Kapaun, a Roman Catholic priest from a little Kansas farming village, served as an Army chaplain to American troops fighting in the Korean War. Father Kapaun was known among the soldiers for his bravery. He went out on the battlefield unarmed to care for wounded soldiers. On Nov. 1, 1950, a regiment of Chinese soldiers attacked the American forces at Unsan. It soon became clear that the American soldiers were outnumbered. According to official U.S. Army records, “Facing annihilation, the able-bodied men were ordered to evacuate. However, Chaplain Kapaun, fully aware of his certain capture, elected to stay behind with the wounded.”
Father Kapaun and the other captured soldiers were forced to march 60 miles to a Chinese prison camp. Father Kapaun carried a wounded soldier on his back for much of the march. Life in the prison camp was miserable. But Father Kapaun encouraged the men to find hope and courage in every situation. He tended to the sick, stole food for the starving, and counseled the discouraged.
In May 1951, Father Kapaun became ill and was sent to the prison camp hospital. Not long before he died, he offered his forgiveness to his Chinese captors, and even asked for their forgiveness in return. He died shortly afterwards. (9)
Two years later, when the surviving American soldiers were liberated from the prison camp, they shared stories of Father Kapaun’s courage, love and sacrifice, and how his example had inspired them to persevere in the face of overwhelming trials. (10)
In 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and [fearlessness] in action above and beyond the call of duty.” (11)
It matters a great deal how you define excellence. It matters a great deal who you pattern your life after. There is only one who achieved excellence in every area of life and that one was Jesus of Nazareth. He lived well, he taught well, he died well. Beyond that, he rose triumphantly and lives forever. He is our model. He is the one who calls us to set lofty goals, to seek after excellence in every area of our lives and who is with us as we seek to go beyond the token commitment of the majority.
When the Father asks, “Did you do your best?” how will you answer? Again, we are not Jesus, but if his Spirit lives within us, we will be enabled to give more than we ever thought possible. He can help. He will help if that is our desire.
1. Speaker’s Sourcebook II Quotes, Stories, & Anecdotes for Every Occasion (Englewood Cliffs, NY: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1994), p. 142.
2. H. B. London Jr. and Stan Toler, The Minister’s Little Devotional Book.
3. Hilgemann, Brandon. Preaching Nuts & Bolts: Conquer Sermon Prep, Save Time, and Write Better Messages (Kindle Locations 1135-1137).
4. On Being a Servant of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2007), p. 78.
5. (Tulsa, OK: Honor Books, 2000), p. 153.
6. Zig Ziglar, Life Lifters (Nashville: Broadman &Holman Publishers, 2003).
7. David Brooks, The Road to Character (New York: Random House), 2015. Cited in The Daily Coach, Sept. 12, 2020.
8. ‘Superman isn’t Supposed to Die:’ Reflections on Death, Success, and the Loss of Kobe Bryant January 27, 2020, I Am Second blog by Doug Bender, https://blog.iamsecond.com/superman-isnt-supposed-to-die-reflections-on-death-success-and-the-loss-of-kobe-bryant.
9. “The poor Kansas farm boy who could be a saint” by Joe Drape, CNN, December 10, 2020 CNN.com, https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/opinions/emil-kapaun-path-to-sainthood-drape/index.html.
10. https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/father-kapaun/.
11. Medal of Honor citation for Father Emil Kapaun, https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/7043.