My Work and My Heart

I recently came across a quote from Leonardo da Vinci that stuck with me in a profound way. To call it just a quote is probably not to do it justice, because it is actually the last thing he said as he lay on his death bed.

I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.
~~ Leonardo da Vinci, d. 1519

At the age of 67, da Vinci died one of the most accomplished painters, scientists, inventors and engineers of his era. His art portfolio still contains some of the most valuable and well known paintings and sketches in the world, and he was such a forward thinking inventor that relatively few of his designs were constructed or even feasible during his lifetime. His artistic ability and scientific curiosity made him one of the most capable minds in anatomy, sketching diagrams of the human body that had never been mapped before.

In spite of all of these accomplishments, he carried into the afterlife regret that his work did not achieved the level of excellence he expected of himself. I agree with him. Not about his own work, but about my own. I am my own worst critic and am driven by the desire to constantly reach for and achieve the best in all I do.

I admit that in the past this has been a negative in my life, leaving me dissatisfied and always unhappy with the product of my work. It was a driving force that had no finish line. At what point do you know you have reached your best? It's subjective at best, even if you don't weigh in the fact that it's nearly impossible to effectively judge yourself. I kept pushing and pushing myself to accomplish the impossible - satisfying my own high expectations. That is until this verse from the Bible firmly got ahold of me:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Colossians 3:23

I may never be able to create the ultimate product that I really want, whether it be a song or a spreadsheet, but I can work at it with all my heart, seeking to honor God by giving him my best effort. Satisfying my expectations is no longer the goal. Pleasing God with the heart behind my work is.

The beauty is that, just like da Vinci, I am not off the hook when it comes to striving to be my best. My responsibility to grow and improve in the gifts God has given me is even greater because it is in the service of one far greater than myself. How could I possibly work as though I were working for the Lord and not put all my effort into it? How could I present something to God that I didn't practice, prepare and plan for? It would be an insult to God and the gifts he has given me.

Ultimately, no matter what I create, make, design or execute, I am not building a work product. I am building my own heart.