¿Sirve Perfectamente O Con Excelencia?

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Cómo Distinguir Entre los Dos y Glorificar a Dios

There were two women. They didn’t know each other. They didn’t live near each other or even at the same time. And they both tried to do their best in everything they did. But they took different approaches to do it. Two different approaches we can learn from in order to be confident we are glorifying God.

Rebeca

Rebekah went to the well to draw water, which was her usual task. When she arrived, a man was there. He asked for a drink of water. Because Rebekah was committed to doing her best at whatever she did, she hastened to draw water for him. She didn’t do so leisurely or begrudgingly. She quickly provided the water. Genesis 24:15-18.

Rebekah didn’t stop when the man was satisfied. Instead, Rebekah offered to do more.  She didn’t ask if the man needed her to do it, or if the man would allow her to do it. She didn’t even say she would go to get help to do it. She merely said she would do more. She would water the man’s camels also, drawing water until the camels were done drinking. Even when doing more than the man asked her to do, she still hastened. She didn’t slow her efforts because she was merely tending to the animals. She hastened to fill the trough, going back and forth, to and from the well, until the camels were done drinking. Genesis 24:19-20.

Marta

Martha, on the other hand, didn’t have to be asked to do anything. When Jesus came to visit, she already had in her mind what needed to be done and knew how to do it perfectly. Like Rebekah, Martha quickly set her hand to the task. She began preparing the perfect meal to serve her guest. But she didn’t do it with quite the same attitude as Rebekah.

There was much to be done. Martha glanced around to see who was going to help her get it done. When she found her sister sitting at the feet of Jesus with no intention of helping Martha, she marched straight to Jesus and begrudgingly asked (and I paraphrase), “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” Martha did not discreetly and respectfully approach her sister directly to ask for her assistance. Instead, Martha went straight to Jesus and accused Him of not caring about her situation. She then went a step further and demanded that He instruct her sister to help her. Luke 10:38-42.

Un Mundo de Diferencia

What was the difference between Rebekah’s and Martha’s approaches? Rebekah sought to serve with excellence. Martha sought to serve perfectly. The approach we choose to serve with makes all of the difference in the world. Although the quality of service may appear the same, the impact on our relationships and the consequences of our service may be very different.

La excelencia es la calidad de ser muy bueno en algo. Por otro lado, el perfeccionismo es el rechazo a aceptar cualquier estándar que se encuentra debajo de la perfección. Debido a que somos llamados a hacer todas las cosas para la gloria de Dios (1 Corintios 10:31), es importante comprender cuál de estos enfoques glorifica a Dios.

Rebekah served with excellence. When the man asked her to draw him a drink, she respectfully replied saying, “Drink, my lord” and gave him a drink. She did not cop an attitude. She did not act inconvenienced. She did not seek someone else to help with the task. She respectfully complied. Then she offered to do more, to water the camels. Again, respectfully and with haste. She had no responsibility to water the camels. She could have gone back to tend to her own responsibilities. But, instead, she saw the need and offered to handle it. Without grumbling. Without acting overly burdened. Without seeking someone else to help her. She went the extra mile.

Rebekah’s excellent service resulted in high quality service and building a relationship. The man and the camels were quickly satisfied. Their needs were met. And she built a relationship with the man. Because of her demeanor and response, he felt comfortable that she was the one to be the wife of his master’s son. She became the wife of one of the patriarchs of the Israelites. Rebekah’s excellent service glorified God. Genesis 24:67.

Marta se esforzó para servir perfectamente. No hay duda de que el servicio que ella proporcionó fue de alta calidad. Ella puso la comida perfecta sobre la mesa para su invitado de alta estima. Probablemente, ella recibió muchos cumplidos cordiales. Pero al final, ella dañó su relación con su hermana y con Jesús. De hecho, Jesús la tuvo que corregir públicamente por su enfoque incorrecto. Su perfecto desempeño trajo para sí la atención, pero no glorificó a Dios.

Hay un mundo de diferencia entre hacer algo con excelencia y esforzarse por hacerlo perfectamente.

La Importancia para Nosotros Hoy

He recibido muchos comentarios sobre mi última publicación, ¡Deje De Sentir Culpa Y Vergüenza Por Decepcionar A Dios Ahora Mismo!  Además de los comentarios que fueron publicados, las personas me contactaron a través de mensajes privados. Parece que muchos cristianos luchan con el sentimiento de decepcionar a Dios cuando no pueden alcanzar la perfección. Sin embargo, la perfección no es Su estándar. Y el perfeccionismo no lo glorifica a Él.

Ayer estaba navegando en la página de Facebook y vi la siguiente publicación de una querida hermana en el Señor, Sujey Garcia:

Adding excellence to your life means, if you are going to do something, don’t just do what they ask you. Add something else. Remember the story of the young girl named Rebekah. She did not just give water to Abraham’s servant. She offered water for his camels also. And she was greatly blessed. Because of her excellence, she became the wife of a prince, the son of promise. (Translated from Spanish)

Cuando leía esa publicación, se compungió mi corazón porque sabía que aquellos que luchamos con el perfeccionismo necesitamos replantear nuestro enfoque. Para estar confiados de que estamos glorificando a Dios en todo lo que hacemos, debemos dejar de buscar la perfección y simplemente servir con excelencia, procurando ver las necesidades y atenderlas sin que alguien nos lo pida. Vaya más allá. Y permita que Dios sea glorificado, no nosotros mismos.

¿Cómo sabemos la diferencia?

El apóstol Pedro nos dice cómo desarrollar la excelencia. Primero, actuamos por fe y diligentemente buscamos la virtud, desarrollando conocimiento, dominio propio, paciencia, piedad, afecto fraternal y amor cristiano. 2 Pedro 1:5-7. Estas características fueron evidentes en Rebeca cuando ella se apresuró a sacar el agua de primero para el hombre y después lo continuó haciendo para los camellos. Estas características se complementan a medida que continuamos diligentemente, lo cual nos conlleva al conocimiento, después a la paciencia, luego a la piedad, etc.

La excelencia también incluye honestidad. Cuando actuamos en fe y buscamos con diligencia las características de la excelencia mencionadas con anterioridad y hablamos honestamente con todas las personas, nuestras buenas obras van a glorificar a Dios. 1 Pedro 2:12. Así como lo hizo Rebeca, cuando buscamos la excelencia le hablamos de una manera honesta y amable a los demás y somos responsables por nuestras acciones. Dios se glorifica por medio de nuestras acciones, actitud y comportamiento.

Por otro lado, la perfección es luchar por alcanzar un estándar inalcanzable. Es luchar por ser impecable, lo cual no concuerda con el concepto bíblico de perfección. Cuando la Biblia habla de perfeccionarnos, generalmente se está refiriendo a madurez. El apóstol Pablo describe los dones que el Señor dio para el perfeccionamiento de los santos. Efesios 4:12. Este perfeccionamiento es la madurez de los santos, equipándolos completamente para la obra de la Iglesia.

When Jesus called us to be perfect, he was calling us to grow into “complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity.” Matthew 5:48 AMP. This Biblical perfection is more akin to excellence, not flawlessness.

Podemos darnos cuenta de que estamos luchando por alcanzar la perfección en vez de la excelencia cuando no toleramos nuestros propios errores. Cuando nos amonestamos a nosotros mismos y constantemente estamos criticando nuestro propio trabajo porque nunca es lo suficientemente bueno. Además, cuando vemos sufrir nuestras relaciones con los demás, especialmente con aquellos que son cercanos a nosotros (miembros de la familia) o que tienen que trabajar con nosotros. Esto sucede porque imponemos nuestros propios altos e inalcanzables estándares sobre todos aquellos que nos rodean. Y ellos no pueden estar a la altura, lo cual causa frustración tanto para nosotros como para ellos.

Otra señal de perfeccionismo en nuestras vidas es el sentimiento frecuente de decepcionar a Dios, así como se presentó en ¡Deje De Sentir Culpa Y Vergüenza Por Decepcionar A Dios Ahora Mismo! As Nathan V pointed out in his comment to that post, we often find our “prayer time being ineffectual because [we] replace fervency with apology.” This damages our relationship with God because we are not growing in Him, praying for others and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are constantly in repentance, not in growth.

Llamado a la Acción

Let’s observe our own actions, attitudes, and behavior in order to determine if we are striving for excellence or for perfection. If the latter, turn our hearts back toward God and diligently pursue the characteristics of excellence, which will glorify God and lead us into Christian maturity. We can be confident we are glorifying God when we pursue excellence.