“That will do.”

We have all said words to this effect when we are spotting someone backing-up a vehicle or preparing to unload an item.

“That will do.”

I think most of us live our personal lives in the “that will do” world. Maybe we should have t-shirts that say, “Close enough,” or “That’s probably good,” but others might lower their expectations of us if we did.

It also seems to me that, increasingly, we hold the actions of others to the highest of standards but expect a measure of longsuffering if we are just close enough ourselves.

I am a moderate sports fan and my team, the Green Bay Packers, had an awful first week in the regular season, especially their celebrated quarterback, Aaron Rogers. The social media posts skewered him mercilessly. The fans demanded excellence and he and his team did not deliver.

In one way, I get it. Had I paid an exorbitant amount of money to attend a game only to watch such a terrible performance, I might be a bit testy, too. But this is only football. What about real-life interactions?

I have recently written about poor customer service and have lamented in a past article that, collectively, we can and should do better for ourselves and others. So, this may be sound a bit hypocritical for me to call out those who demand perfection as a rule. In fact, two recent interactions with people reminded me to stay humble.

One such example is that I improperly used a word in The Standard Newspaper and a reader gently corrected me. The other interaction was with a congregational member in which I used an off-color joke. Yes, me, one of your local ministers saying something instantly regrettable. These errors, certainly, did not do.

How do we balance the messiness of being human and our occasional failings with our wonderful talents?

In Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t,” Collins argues that companies settle for good at the expense of greatness to their detriment. This may be true of us as well at times. But people are not companies; they are people. And so, while it may be a best practice to strive for absolute excellence in the office, on our own time, life can be more relaxed lacking the pressing desire to work so hard on personal things. Look over at your treadmill right now and I think you will see my point.

One of the marks I find so challenging about the Christian faith is its demand for perfection. Read the Sermon on the Mount section of Matthew’s account and I think you will see my point. It is a hard faith that gives little room for error. Therefore, we need God’s grace.

This week celebrate the areas you excel and work on the weaker spots with God’s help.

For now, I think, that will do!

Kent Simmons is the pastor of Canyon Community Church in Kingman, AZ.