How do you do something? Seriously, don’t do anything half-baked. The only exception is a steak roasted to medium, but that’s a part of perfection.
There is no shortage in this world of things done badly. Many times, people’s problems were inherited from other people. Most of my own problems are from a domino effect of other people not doing their jobs correctly. Things break, those broken things break other things, the chain continues until it reaches my stuff.
At times, I think all of life is a swim through a river of problems from upstream. Don’t complain about the problems you get and don’t complain about other people’s problems unless you can explain that they are upstream from you.
There is a marketable demand for things finished not badly and not half-finished.
The need for excellence extends to thought itself. Many things would not be done so badly if the people doing those things would not only do a good job of what they were doing, but also do a good job of thinking about what they were doing.
God is the Master Craftsman because He makes stuff and He doesn’t make it badly—including you.
Your problems are a consortium of interferences from rebellious angels, your ancestors, and your own stupidity. As for God’s work to create and redeem you, just the fact that you’re alive is a miracle and testament to the fact that He’s not only awesome, that He’s not only ain’t finished with you yet, but that He’s only just gettin’ started.
You are God’s work in progress and, all things considered, you’re doing quite well—especially in light of your problems.
God likes nice things. He celebrates factory workers and hard laborers. Jesus himself was a carpenter. With nearly 2,000 years of work on New Jerusalem, that just makes sense.
The pastor, prophet, apostle, and theologian do not understand God more than the good, hard worker. Their studies away from craft can inhibit their ability to understand and identify with the Master Craftsman. Paul moonlighted as a tentmaker, not only for ethical and financial reasons, but also theological.
To understand our Most Excellent God, do a most excellent job.
Proverbs 22:29, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23-24