Good enough
From The Pastor’s Desk—
Several years ago, I began to get into what can properly be called “woodworking” (as distinct from the carpentry I had been doing since my 20’s). Around that time, I read an interview with Nick Offerman. Offerman is best known as an actor (most famous for his role as Ron Swanson on (Parks and Recreation”), but he is also an accomplished woodworker. He described the multitude of specialized tools in his shop as merely a “configuration of chisels.” A saw blade is nothing more than multiple chisels (saw teeth) affixed to a blade; a plane is a chisel, encased in a body holding it at a specific angle. With that description, I saw tools in a new way, and in turn I saw their uses in new ways as well. It was as if a lightbulb went off in my head.
I had a different “ah-ha” moment this past month. I was working on restoring a timber framing chisel that I have owned for several years now. I purchased it online, knowing full well that it would need some serious work. When it arrived, it became apparent that I had bought myself a pig in a poke. It was clearly someone’s early effort at forging, as the blade was unevenly ground, deeply scored, and rusty. I spent hours attempting to turn that particular sow’s ear into a silk purse (stay tuned for more porcine metaphors). When I was on my 4th or 5th attempt at trying to lap the faces flat, I had an epiphany: the blade was finally sharp, it was rust free, and it had a well fitted handle. Despite still having some visible imperfections, it was good enough. I could spend 10-20 more hours making it perfect, but I could also use those 10-20 hours to build something with it, as is.
Voltaire once wrote that we should not let the perfect be the enemy of good. By that, he meant that our pursuits of perfection can blind us to what is “good enough” to achieve our goals. If we are waiting for everything to be just right, we run the risk of missing out on enjoying what is, right now, in this moment. Sometimes it is appropriate to marshall resources, prepare, plan ahead; at other times, it is best to use what is at hand and achieve what is possible with what is already in reach.
As we begin another busy summer season here at First Congregational, I urge us all to consider what we are being called to do, in this moment. Our response to Christ’s call on our lives -to love, and serve- does not need to wait until the perfect moment, when the right set of circumstances is in place; when everything is “perfect.” Where is God calling you, right now? How is God asking you to share your gifts, today?
—Pastor Jon
