When Your Best Isn't Good Enough

I like to believe that if I put my head to it...I can accomplish anything. I like to think that if I try my absolute hardest everything will work out (in every area of life). For example:

You want a promotion? Come in early, leave late. Go that extra mile on every project. Create efficiencies where there was once chaos. Be a workplace superstar!

Are you tired of being single? Lose 10lbs, get your hair done/nails did, buy new clothes, and clear out the aisles of Sephora (if you're a girl). For guys, just get these things the arrows are pointing to-->*

I've done these things and ended up (1) laid off and (2) sitting at home on Friday nights watching French romcoms and eating chips and ice cream.

How can this be?!!

Long story short: Sometimes your best just isn't good enough.

I decided I would start a series on the Faith Hall of Fame, because I love Hebrews 11. The first hall-of-famer is Abel:

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous 

Hebrews 11:4

Who are Cain and Abel? The sons of Adam and Eve, and this is how their story goes:

Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4: 3 - 5

Some say that Cain's sacrifice was rejected because it was of poor quality. But let's just take that off the table right now, because when I do crappy work, I know there is a possibility that it is going to be rejected/refused/sent back for revisions. My hope is that I can get over, but my reaction to failure-to-get-over is never rage. Rage comes when you feel like you have been played. Cain gave his best, and is flipping out because his best isn't good enough. So it begs the question:

For Real...Why is Cain's Sacrifice Rejected?

"Baaaaa-d Cain!"

I have to admit: I'm a Bible nerd.  So I was both shocked and elated to realize: this is a doozie! So, I'm open to your opinions if they differ from mine. 

Many commentaries that I have read, have said Cain's sacrifice was rejected because it was a blood-less sacrifice. Sooo...if Cain had thrown a dead sheep up there, everything would have been cool? I take issue with this for the following reasons:

1. Nowhere in the Bible does it say Cain's offering was rejected because it was blood-less. Nowhere does it say Abel's offering was accepted because it was an animal.
   
   
2. This is a somewhat legalistic view. It assumes that there is some type of rigid formula to pleasing God, some "rule" to be followed and that Abel was on board and Cain was a rule-breaker (thus rejected).
3. Abel is a keeper of flocks, so it makes sense for him to bring an animal. Cain is a tiller of the ground, so it makes sense for him to bring fruit. You can't convince me that Cain can go outside of his area of expertise and bring an animal offering as good as or better than Abel's. This point is 100% opinion, but I feel like God makes it clear that He wants us to work within our gifts (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6).
4.  Contrary to popular belief, God is not in love with animal sacrifices:
   
   The multitude of your sacrifices--what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. Isaiah 1:11
   
   For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalms 51: 16-17

Cain's heart...scary isn't it?

So I have to go with the view that something in Cain's heart was not right. And beyond that, most importantly, because his heart wasn't right, and because FAITH works by love ( Galatians 5:6), it was impossible for Cain to please God (Hebrews 11:6). 

I love Hebrews 11, because it is talking about all the things that these people did by faith in order to be what? Pleasing! Hebrews 11 isn't about all the amazing and miraculous works you can do by faith. It's about understanding what is necessary in order to be pleasing...and that necessary thing is faith. Hebrews 11 is, shockingly, full of rule breakers...so it's not over a broken rule that Cain missed out on being called "friend of God." It's not because of a broken rule that Cain missed out on being counted as "righteous." Cain missed out because Cain's heart wasn't broken like the psalmist said, and when his offering was rejected we don't see contrition recorded on his face, rather we see the rage of someone who was confident in the "best that he could do"...never realizing that his best is never good enough.

Note: I'm not saying don't try. I'm not saying go and be a faith-filled villain (as if such existed). In truth, I don't know how NOT to try. I'm saying don't depend on your efforts and think they are the key to your acceptance. Don't look at everything you've done and think: "Wow. I'm am amazing Christian" because our God is not served with hands (Acts 17:25).

If my best could ever be good enough, there would be no cause for grace. And how do we get grace (that awesome stuff that saves us)?

...we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 

Romans 5:2

Go figure.



*Guys, for the purposes of this blog, we're going to pretend having those could fail to end your single days. However...that's probably not true. Those will work every time. I'm just saying.