“Getting” Better

I’ve been thinking about “better” recently. The word has been spoken around, to and by me in ways that have challenged and encouraged me (and nearly broken my heart, but that’s a story of its own).

“Better” is deceptively relative – do you know what I mean?

On one hand, better can be somewhere between “good” and “best” – or maybe even, “just shy of excellent.” But sometimes, all it means is “less worse” or “the only way to go was up.”

We don’t always get to decide. Sometimes, life hands us “worse and worse.” In those times, just barely holding on is the very best we can do. I’ve had seasons like that. I am praying for several friends who are right there, right now. This post is not about that.

When it comes to going after better, my hard and fast rule is to keep it personal; to compare myself only against myself. We save ourselves a lot of pain when we refuse to compare ourselves to others. This is one of most important lessons I’ve learned as a human.

There’s a song on my running playlist that my nephew introduced to me years ago – “Never Going Back to OK, by The Afters”…

I feel alive
And it hurts for a change
I’m looking back and it’s hard to believe
That I was cool with the days
that I wasted,
complacent,
and tasteless and bored
But that was yesterday

We’re never going back to OK
We’re never going back to easy
We’re never going back to the way it was
We’re never going back to OK

I haven’t got it all figured out, that’s for sure. In fact, there are areas of my life where I need to improve drastically, and areas where I have fallen hard from where I once was. If I ever master the art of being at the peak of “better-ness” across the board, I will happily share the secret.

But I do have some “betters” that I am thankful for right now.

The point of getting to “better” is to make it a new benchmark. It is good to celebrate and acknowledge progress, and then, to keep at it. The next “better” will be – well, you know.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest.
‘Til your good is better and your better is best”
-St. Jerome

How much better to get wisdom than gold,
and good judgment than silver!
-Proverbs 16:16