Can wanting to be the Best be Detrimental?
We can be very attracted to being the best. We admire people who want to be seen as the best. So, what is the problem?
We know perfection is not a state we can arrive at. Yet, we often compare ourselves to others, trying to determine how we rate. Sometimes, this causes a problem as we decide, since we cannot be the best, we shouldn’t even try. This means much of what we could accomplish never happens because we fear it may not be good enough.
As Voltaire said, “The best is the enemy of the good.” It is better to work at becoming good at a task than to never try. Life is really about growth. Doing well at something, or even poorly at something, can lead to growth. Life is best lived as a process, learning through what we do well and what we don’t do so well.
So, what about the desire to want to be the best? God makes us the best in Christ Jesus through His perfect life lived for us and His grace given for us. This perfect state given as a gift removes the need to be perfect on our own and sets our lives on a path of growth and constant improvement. We need not be afraid of not being the best or even failing. Christ has given us the freedom to fail, improve, and grow into being the best we can be.
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