Daily Devotion - Tuesday, September 21

Effective or Right?

This seems like a good topic for today's devotions. I’m almost finished with my Healthstream testing for the year. I am glad that I don't have to get every question right in order to pass the test. (I like getting 100%, but that doesn't happen all the time.)

Daily in my listening I hear people talking about wanting to do things right or to get “this (life)” right. Because most of that listening focuses on guiding folks through their grief walk, it seems important to remind people that “right/wrong” is one way of walking but “good/better/best” is also a way of walking.

Each of us have principles (that which is right). It is important that we do have principles. Few of us, very few, violate our own principles. Sometimes we confuse principles and preferences. Most things are a matter of preference, not principle. To be effective it is important to distinguish these two words in each dilemma of life.

“Focus on being effective instead of being right” is a helpful standard. Personally I'm glad that I didn't need 100% on every test. The rest of the day I'm going to work practicing effective pastoral care. You see, I believe that effectiveness is found in doing the right things more than in doing things right!

--Ben Keckler
09.21.10