Earlier today I heard a quote that captured my attention as soon as I heard it. I was busy in the kitchen beginning my dinner preparation and the television was on in the other room when I heard it. It came from a gentleman on LinkedIn who said, “it’s not about being right, but it’s about getting it right”. That resonated with me in several ways. It may have been the fact that I had been in conversation with someone a couple of hours prior, in which I stated that there are no perfect people, but life is about striving to be our best, and knowing that life is an ever evolving learning and development process. No matter how old we are, or what we have achieved, we never arrive at perfection!

As I closely observe the state of our nation as well as our world, I cannot help but believe that perceptions, personal views, and cultural differences are so deeply embedded in many people that the direction of communication or lack thereof is often pre-established before a word is ever spoken. It is true that everyone has a “right” to their opinion. However, the question that comes to mind is how far will we go to prove that we are right. The obsession to be right, the absolute authority, which is beyond correction or challenge, constructs a barrier that has the potential to become impenetrable.

When I divide the quote into two segments it sheds even more light on the subject. If one is focused on being right, then the indication is that my belief is established, and there is no room for any outside view for consideration or option to learn. Looking at the latter half of the statement, it lends itself to latitude for seeing a different perspective, allows room for improvement or at the very least acceptance that one has the potential to be wrong and is open to correction.

In my younger years, I think I often thought that being right was somehow proving a point. Honestly, who is the great scorekeeper of the points? Is there someone, somewhere tallying up all the points on an invisible scoreboard? I think not. But I do know that our Creator is the ultimate judge of all, and He alone knows what and who is right! I passionately believe it is more important to expend our energy making every effort to get it right. Getting it right by the standards of the One who has the answers, and the supreme knowledge of how to make the discovery. By striving to “get it right” as opposed to “being right”, we acknowledge the fact that there is one supreme authority. If we can come to the realization of that fact, it actually relieves the pressure of having or needing to be right! Not one person is beyond error. I believe God planned it that way so that we would never lose our dependency on Him, recognizing our insufficiencies and never capitalizing upon the deficiency of others. When we sincerely seek to do right, consistently and actively striving to get it right instead of being right, not only will it work out best for us, but for others as well. I close with the word of God found in Isaiah 1: 17 which begins with the words “Learn to do well . . .”