On Perfection

Daryl asked me, "Did you see my mistake?" Rarely have I heard that. Usually people try to cover up their mistakes. "What?" "My mistake. I missed getting two verses up, and I could have kicked myself." (at the end of a 41 verse section and after five songs and two readings plus announcements) The parenthetical comments are mine and, I had not noticed. He did.

Running graphics on Sunday morning at Perimeter Church may be one on the hardest acts of service in the universe. You are in a box at the top of the auditorium, isolated, needing to have "close to perfect" timing to get slide after slide up at just the right moment. Not too early, not too late. If the speaker deviates, you need to go with him. To the last slide, to a slide that is three ahead, to no slide (if he quotes something he did not give you a slide for). Readings need to come up as the worship pastor turns his head to the screen and announcements just when we speak them but, not for too long.

Pressure. Then to do it again Sunday morning (with some last minute changes) and finally at 10:45 again, when it may be easy to lose concentration because you have seen the slides 16 times since Thursday night. After it is all over, at the benediction, you turn and greet the guy or gal who has been sitting next to you for ten hours of your week, the switcher of cameras shots. Sound exciting?

Let me say a few things about these folks. It is a true act of service (no one gets paid). They strive for perfection because they want people to worship well. They glorify God by what they do, but more by their hearts (ie) who they are. Next time you are in service, glance up, way up, and smile as you thank God for those who work silently behind the scenes for Him and for you. You might even climb the stairs and thank him or her. But not while they are trying to keep time turning slides.

Last point. They may make a mistake. It happens to all of us. O that we would strive for perfection, like Daryl does with slides, in our walk with the Lord. Granted, we will miss a verse or two from time to time. But the striving and desire count for much. Blessings.