Undistracting Excellence

I hear a lot of Christians worry about the best way to represent Christ to the world, especially a world weary of being beaten down by holier than thou evangelism (whether that be perception or reality). Just last week my Sunday School class was discussing the topic of the obstacles to sharing Christ or even of bringing Christ up in conversation. To inject the story of salvation or even to reference Jesus' name can make the best of conversations look like an agenda-filled setup or even a trap.

After reading an interview given by John Piper, I've added to my perspective on the topic. In the interview he uses the phrase "undistracting excellence" to describe the job of ministry leaders. I see an application in this for all Christians.

The idea comes in reference to how we should approach what we do in life. Piper speaks of more reliance on God and an understanding that the work of ministry is primarily supernatural in nature, not some professional club that is relying on the perfection of ministers to accomplish God's will. That fact does not, however, absolve those ministry leaders from doing their job as well as they can. His challenge: portray undistracting excellence. Says Piper, "The aim is for a kind of excellence that does not distract from God or the spiritual engagement with God in all our natural acts. Both fumbling and finesse distract. . ."

While I appreciate this approach in ministry leaders, I think this may be an important way to go about our daily lives as well and perhaps a more effective way to portray Christ to the world. If we display "undistracting excellence" in our jobs, relationships, and daily interactions, we "do life" in such a way that we are not a distraction from God. To me, it means performing in these areas with a quiet dedication, attempting to not create a distraction from the goodness that is God by representing him poorly. Our mistakes, failures, and weaknesses are amplified a thousand fold in a culture looking for reasons to reject a Sovereign God. At times unspoken diligence, consistent excellence, and obvious faith are the best ways to "speak" about Christ and allow focus on the supernatural beauty that He contains.