Years ago, as a kid, I went to the University of Kentucky with a 4-H team from Bracken County. It’s a long story, but I wasn’t even in 4-H at the time and went as a favor/friend to someone who was on a livestock judging team. The next thing I knew, I had my hands all over sheep, steers, and hogs, judging groups of 4 animals and placing them in order of best, second, and so on. I had no idea what I was doing. I was watching what everyone else was doing and attempting to look the part of a judge. Then I picked out which animal I thought looked best to me. All was going kind of OK until we had to meet with one of the advisors and explain why we placed the animals in the placement positions that we did. I remember the advisor saying, “Well, I placed the animals in all the same ranks that you did, but for totally different reasons.” I think the cat was out of the bag. I had no idea what I was doing.
I have learned in all such contests that the judge is comparing the animal to an “ideal” specimen. The ideal specimen would be what the perfect animal would look like. The trouble is that the absolute “ideal animal” does not exist. The judment of the animals at best is a comparison of that animals qualities to the ideal qualities. There may be pictures to illustrate and compare to, but there are no “perfect animal” pictures.
Similar to that story is the way we live our lives. Some are going through the motions and doing things they see others doing without knowing why. Ask them about “goodness” or “righteousness” and they may not know how to describe what that is. “Righteousness” can perhaps best be described as “rightness”.
The problem is, have any of us ever been right all of the time. You or I may appear “more right” than our neigbors. We may compare ourselves to the rightness of others, but the problem is, there are no neighbors who are “ideally right” or righteous. Paul said in the book of Romans that there are “None Righteous.”
Yet the Psalmist writes, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” It’s more involved than time and space allow me today, but I can’t walk in righteousness alone. I haven’t the slightest capabiltiy of doing so, nor do you. But, in Christ, who is our righteousness, I am able. As I have accepted the price he paid for my unrighteousness I am declared righteous by God. As I allow Him to work in me and lead me; as I look to Him in my decision making, I am also able to comparatively and gradually live more righteously day after day.
No in the animal kingdom, the perfect ideal may not exist, but in humanity it does. It does in Christ Jesus, the only one to ever live truly righteously.
Leaving a Legacy 