During my training to run the sound board at church here, the philosophy was “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” “This isn’t important,” he would say, and then adjust the setting that had just be deemed unimportant.
Compare this with another man I met who practiced another philosophy. “This pen still has ink,” he insisted, as he tried without success to write with it. “See?” he said as he showed me the virtually empty ink cartridge from the pen.
Which is a more godly mindset? Perfectionism because God never forgets the details? Conservation because God never throws people away? 1 Cor. 4:1-5 addresses my judgement of others: “It is a very small thing that I should be judged of you,” says Paul. His own judgement, his own conscience is not worthy of judging whether he is faithful to God. When the Lord comes, He will bring the hidden things to light, and His praise is what matters.
This can be a source of comfort when I lack confidence in my new task of running sound and fear ruining the church service for everyone. It can also bring me to my knees in humility when I smugly feel like I’ve met everyone’s standards.
God will use me when I fail. He will allow me to improve my skills in areas that I can serve in the future. And I may develop a clear principle of what it personally means to be faithful to what God has entrusted to me. But through it all, my heart must be bowed in humility to my Lord and His judgement.