By Danny Minton

If you can’t be a wave, be a ripple.
If you can’t be a forest, be a tree.
If you can’t be a rock, be a pebble;
But the thing most important is to “Be.”

If you can’t be a king, be a peasant.
If you can’t be an “A,” then be a “Z.”
For the joy after all is not lessened,
If you are just the best that you can be.

I came across this little poem over fifty years ago. I have no idea who wrote it, and the card on which I printed it only said “selected.”  So, this week I’m selecting it for you. It’s short in words, but powerful in the meaning it conveys to us.

We live in a world where many people strive to be the best, not being satisfied with merely being good at something. As a result, children feel pressured and fear the consequences of failure. Workers feel they are not valued as much if they are not the best at their job. Just being good is not enough, and not being the best can even result in unwarranted criticism. Sometimes, this causes people to cheat or take dangerous shortcuts to reach the top of the ladder. At other times, it results in treating others wrongly to get ahead. I read somewhere the statement, “Be kind to people on your way up, for you will meet the same people on your way down.”

Let’s face it, we all would like to be the best at something. However, when you give it some thought, only one person or group can be the best at something at any given time. As I look back on my life, there are few times when I could see myself as the best at something. I was best man at a few weddings, if that counts. I was part of the best AA football team in 1965, although I wasn’t the best player; several were a lot better than I was. I did win the 110-meter high hurdles as a freshman, so I was the best for a day in that event. There are many other times, I’m sure, I was the best for a moment in time at some game or contest, but nothing, as they say, to write home about. Oh yes, I was selected as the second baseman on the all-star team for Little League. I guess that counts.

I was always taught to be just like the last phrase in the little poem above, to be “the best that you can be.” If someone puts the effort into something and does the best job they can do, that’s what counts in life. There are many things that I feel I am good at doing. There are many things I have done in the past that I was good at fulfilling. However, I was rarely, if ever, the best. The main thing was that I did the best I could personally do. 

As Christians, we are taught to be our best at serving others. Even leaders in the church are instructed on how to serve. It started with Jesus. One of my favorite verses about Jesus is mentioned in Mark 10:45: “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Paul identified himself in his writings as a servant of Christ. He tells the Corinthians that he became a “slave to all” to win more for Christ. 

Our goal is to identify our strengths and do them to the best of our ability. Seek out the things we enjoy and do our best. Do the best we can with whatever abilities we have. Do the best we can in serving the Lord. Do the best we can in our relationships with one another. While we look to others, for example, don’t try to be like them, but do your best to be like Christ wants you to be. Utilize your talents and abilities to the best of your ability. 

We may never be the main person at our workplace. We may never be in the top ten of any group. We may never win a gold medal or first place trophy. Most of us will never have a book written about us or be hailed on TV as an outstanding figure in our field. However, there is one thing we can be assured of when it comes to being the best we can be, especially as a Christian. More valuable than a grand prize, more important than a golden trophy, and more meaningful than being in first place will be when we stand before the Lord and hear these words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ