Should It Be Better...?

A good friend often says to me, "If it can be better, it should be."

I'm not so sure.

My hesitancy may not be what you're thinking. I'd actually say if we can afford to make it better, we should--down to the very last dime of the budget. If we have time to make it better, we should--using every minute of available time. If our people have the skill to do it better, we should keep improving each other.

Money. Time. People. The big three.

By the way, I learned a while back that you can almost always have one of the three, sometimes have two of the three, but it is very difficult to have all three. Of course when you do, the result should be pretty astounding. (Like a major motion picture where they have nearly unlimited funds, create their own timeline and hire the best of the best.)

Can you imagine Bach or Michelangelo or Chris Tomlin or the team at Hillsong having an approach that leaned toward--whatever...it's good enough. We probably don't need to do it any better than that. I can't!

But I think there may be some times when it shouldn't be better. And maybe those giants of Christ-centered creativity would agree.

Let me assure you, my struggle is real. I always want things to be better. Always. Better flow. Better music. Better spoken words. Better technology. Better attitudes--mine and others.

But sometimes I fear we want things to be better at the risk of damaging people, specifically relationships with people. And I may be off base, but I think if the "product" (song, sermon, service, ministry, etc.) gets better and the people get hurt the cost is too high.

That's why I try so hard to call those I lead "higher" while working tirelessly to keep from manipulating them. It's why I set the bar high and extend grace in abundance when we fall short. It's why I sometimes allow rules to become guidelines--people are more important than rules.

After all, isn't that what set Jesus apart from the Pharisees? The religious leaders of the day--and if you're reading this there's a good chance you'd be described by some as a religious leader--they were pretty focused on the rules.

Jesus was focused on the people.

Now to be fair to my friend, who is likely to read this, Jesus always called people to be better. Like most things in the Christian journey, I don't think it is an either-or decision but a both-and tension.

If we have the money in the budget and it isn't taking away from meeting the needs of people, spend it. If we have the time to do it well and not steamroll one of the unpaid servants we lead, go for it. And if a member of the team has the ability and can be stirred on toward higher quality output without breaking their spirit, call 'em higher!

If it can be better--and no one is treated any differently than Jesus would treat them--then it should be.

Absolutely.

What do you think? Am I being too soft?