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Why “Good Enough” Is Never Good Enough
And on the surface, it sounds harmless—reasonable even. After all, it’s done. It works. It gets the job finished.
Brett Esslinger
May 27, 2025
In partnership with
There’s a moment in Scripture that should haunt every leader in the best way.
The Queen of Sheba traveled over 1,200 miles to see if the stories about Solomon were real. She’d heard the rumours—about his wisdom, his wealth, his leadership. But when she saw it for herself, she was left speechless.
“When the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon… the food on his table, the seating of his officials… and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.”
Overwhelmed.
If you lead long enough, you’ll hear it.
You might even say it yourself.
“It’s good enough.”
And on the surface, it sounds harmless—reasonable even. After all, it’s done. It works. It gets the job finished.
But here’s the problem:
“Good enough” is the fast track to complacency.
It’s not just about doing a task. It’s about who we’re doing it for.
And that changes everything.
1. The Danger of “Good Enough”
Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
When we settle for average, we stop growing.
When we stop growing, we start coasting.
And when we coast long enough, we drift into mediocrity.
When we settle, we stagnate. When we stagnate, we dishonour God.
2. Pursue Excellence in All Things
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
Excellence isn’t about perfection—it’s about stewardship. Solomon’s excellence wasn’t random. It was deliberate, down to the seating of his officials.
Excellence honours God and it awakens awe.
What you build should preach before you ever pick up a mic.
Excellence isn’t perfection—it’s intention.
It’s doing the best you can with what you have.
It’s refusing to let sloppy become normal.
Excellence honors God and it inspires people.
Your team, your church, your community… they feel it when you go above and beyond.
At SAINTS CHURCH, one of our values is that we “do our best, and then some...” It’s about doing our best, not being the best.
3. Innovate and Problem-Solve
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Solomon didn’t just have wisdom—he applied it.
That’s the power of leadership that solves problems instead of preserving dysfunction.
You weren’t called to manage what was.
You were called to build what’s next.
Leaders innovate.
They problem-solve.
They ask “what if?” and “why not?” and “how can we make this better?”
The moment we stop asking better questions is the moment we stop making real progress.
What does your leadership solve?
What’s broken that God has positioned you to fix?
4. Avoid the “Not Enough” Trap
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…”
If we’re not careful, we’ll go from “good enough” to “barely enough.”
And if we’re really honest, some ministries live on just enough faith to survive—not enough faith to thrive.
You were made for more.
Not in a prideful way—but in a faithful way.
Let’s lead like we serve a God who does more than we can imagine.
5. Raise the Standard
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
We’re not just running—we’re running to win.
It’s time to raise the bar.
It’s time to stretch the standard.
It’s time to go from good to great.
Let’s stop asking, “Is this good enough?”
And start asking, “Is this worthy of the One who called me?”
The Queen of Sheba didn’t show up because of Solomon’s potential.
She showed up because of his standard.
Let’s raise ours.
I just took my team through this framework… click below to download your Staff Meeting Guide!
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The Final Word
You never know who’s watching.
Lead in such a way that when they finally see it for themselves, they say what Sheba did:
“Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.”
Let’s be leaders who don’t settle. Let’s build ministries and movements that reflect the excellence of the One we serve. Whether you’re leading a team of two or a congregation of thousands, the standard you set becomes the culture you create. Keep raising the bar—and don’t apologize for it.
Until next week,
P.S. If you haven’t picked up a copy of my book The Hope Habit yet, now’s the time. It’s a field guide for building resilient hope in the middle of real life. Grab your copy today and start living with a hope that refuses to quit. [CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY]
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