Two weeks ago we looked at Solomon and the excellence that his rule produced. I have been thinking about excellence this past week and how it can be defined. In the past, I defined excellence as perfection and consequently found myself frustrated most of the time, because perfection is seldom achieved. But I have come a long way in my thinking on this subject and I no longer equate (gleichsetzen) excellence with perfection.

So how do I define excellence now? To answer that, I think it best if I tell you a true story, something amazing that happened to me that still shapes my life and thinking. Our family was on vacation a few years ago in the San Francisco area. On New Year’s Eve, we went shopping at a local mall and went to a department store famous for its service. I bought four dress shirts there and then my family split up to do some more shopping; my wife and daughter went one way, my son and I the other.

When we met again, the first thing my wife asked me was, "Where are your shirts?" I realized then that I had put the bag down somewhere in the mall and had forgotten to pick it up. We quickly retraced my steps, which eventually led us back to the counter where I had purchased the shirts. I explained my dilemma to the sales people and they were very empathetic. One of them said, "Why don’t you pick out four more shirts?" I explained that I could not afford four more shirts, but she insisted that I identify the shirts I had lost. Two other sales assistants joined us as we found the four shirts in my size.

Then the sales person put those shirts in a bag and said, "Happy New Year from Nordstrom’s. There’s no additional charge!" I was astounded! They had replaced my shirts free of charge. I went on to write an article about that experience for a magazine and I entitled the article, "A Shirt Tale." In that article, I explained that what happened to me was a good summary of what the mission of the church should be: to replace what was lost and stolen without assigning (zuweisen) blame or guilt.

That story is the best definition of excellence I have experienced. It taught me that excellence is an attitude that goes beyond the call of duty. It also taught me that excellence is not defined by the doer, but by the receiver. I doubt if the sales people who gave me my shirts remember what they did, but I will never forget it. It literally took my breath away.

Are you a person of excellence? If so, when was the last time you took someone’s breath away when they encountered your commitment to go beyond the ordinary? This kind of excellence can’t be learned; it can only come from doing what you love while serving others. I hope that this week you can impact someone’s life as they encounter your purposeful excellence. Have a great week !