Wisdom from 7 Eleven

On my way to the hospital early one morning I stopped off at a 7 Eleven to get me a French Vanilla Cappuccino. I know this is going to be heresy to some, but I like their Cappuccino better than Starbucks. There, I said it, sorry to those who are offended. And dare I mention the price difference!

Not that I have anything against Starbucks. In fact, I enjoy going from time to time to get some serious reading and studying done. You can’t always find a good spot at my regular office (for those of you don’t know me well, that would be Chick-fil-a).

Well, on this particular morning I got more than a cup of coffee. I received some great life wisdom from the guy behind the counter at 7 Eleven.

He and his co-worker were having a conversation. She was decrying the fact that another co-worker had not done his job correctly the night before. She had to complete his work and she was really letting him have it.

Then it came. The guy behind the counter said, “It’s just like relationships, there’s always room for improvement.” Not sure if he knew it or not, but he spoke volumes with that statement.

Now that’s a morsel of wisdom that all of us could use. How often are we guilty of expecting perfection from the people closest to us? Have we forgotten that there are no perfect people?

Do we expect perfection from our mate, our children, our parents and other family members? Do we expect perfection from our friends and neighbors?

Church members do we expect perfection from our elders, preachers, youth ministers, and other workers in the Church? Church members, do we expect perfection from the leaders in the church?

Do we expect perfection from our employees, employers, and co-workers?

When we demand or expect perfection we will be sorely disappointed. I can think of at least two reasons this is true.

Perfection is not possible. The truth is we all sin (Romans 3:9-10,23; 1 John 1:8) and we can never reach perfection in this life.

Perfection is not practical. If everyone was perfect (like some think they are) we could not know the joy of forgiving and extending grace to others.

Next time you start demanding perfection from someone close to you remember this morsel of wisdom from the guy at 7 Eleven. There’s always room for improvement (even in your life)!

Dear Father in Heaven, help us to remember that there are no perfect people in our world. Help us remember that we should be more patient, forgiving, and loving toward those around us. Thank You dear God for teaching us the meaning of forgiveness. Thank You for being so merciful for us in our imperfection. Help us to follow Your example in all of our relationships. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.