The Good Is Enemy of the Best

April 26

It isn’t easy to recognize the best option in every situation. The old adage is, ‘The good is enemy of the best.’ Often, it is the good things around us that beckon us away from the ultimate prize.

The husband who has grown weary with the routine of married life seeks excitement in the arms of an illicit new love. In so doing, he robs himself forever of the joys of watching his children grow to respect him and honor him—to have his family around him when the ravages of old age begin to take their ultimate toll.

The lovely new home with the open floor plan is preferred over the traditional one, even though the older home has sturdier construction and will afford a more easily maintained and dependable place to live for a longer period of time. How can we know, when we are faced with alluring choices, just how precipitous a fall we can have if we select the wrong one?

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask of God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” God does not fault us for being tempted by sin, but for succumbing to sin. He does not expect that we be able to discern the right choice in every circumstance. He simply wants us to recognize that the right answers always lie with Him and that it behooves us to seek Him for them.