PERFECTION AT ITS BEST?
A Man wanted to have a beautiful cradle made for his soon-to-be born first child. When he inquired who was the best carpenter in town, everyone agreed that there was only one—a real perfectionist.
The father went to this carpenter and explained, "My wife is due to give birth in two months and I would like to order a really nice cradle from you. I heard you were one of the best carpenters."
The carpenter puffed up with pride and said, "Yes, I must say, you will have not just a cradle, you'll have a dream cradle, one that has never been seen before!"
The father was highly excited.
"Wonderful! When will it be ready?"
"Come next week."
The father returned the next week hoping to see the miracle of carpentry.
"Ah, yes, the cradle," said the carpenter as he delicately sanded a beautiful box. "Well, it's not quite ready. It's got to be perfect before I hand it over to you."
"All right. When shall I come back? Tomorrow?"
"Give me another week. I want to do a really good job, you know."
The father returned the next week.
"I'm still not really happy with my work," the carpenter said. "Give me another week. I want to really make the best possible cradle."
Every week the father returned and there was always an excuse why the cradle was not ready. Eventually the child was born, and the father went and bought a cradle somewhere else. His child grew up, became an adult, married, and his wife became pregnant. The old dad reminisced, "You know, I once ordered a cradle for you. Maybe it's ready by now. Why don't you go see the carpenter and ask him. I was told that he's really good."
The son went to see the old carpenter.
"My father had placed an order for a cradle for me when I was a baby, and we were wondering if… it was ready?"
The carpenter looked up from his work bench and gripped his chisel with white knuckles.
"Listen, my boy," he pointed the chisel at the young man's chest. "I do the best work! I don't deliver shoddy goods. And I'm not going to have you or your father push me around. Clear?"
The son realized he was talking to a fool, and went and bought a cradle from another place.
Perfectionism can also become a big obstacle in our spiritual life. I am sitting down for my meditation, when I notice that the pictures on the altar are a little crooked. As I tidy them up, I see a bit of dust that needs to be sponged off. "And while I am up, I might as well vacuum my prayer rug. Humm, this rug is bit mangy. Let me go and buy a nice new one. Well, this new rug is too big for the room— I will just make the living room my meditation room. Now where do I entertain my friends? I will have to find a new house.
Boy, this new neighborhood is really noisy. Maybe it is time to settle in the countryside, and I can build my own temple in the garden. And then I can really start meditating..."
Yes, we can be perfectionist in our dedication to reaching our highest potential—after all, our ego would be only too happy to have us give up or get sloppy. But divine perfectionism is always balanced with surrender. We do the very best we can, and let God decide the outcome.
