A Sunday reflection on how true excellence isn’t perfection. It’s grace, gratitude, and presence, even in messy, ordinary, and slightly chaotic days.
Excellence is not about being the best, but about being your best, even when no one’s watching. ~ Nuniek Tirta
This morning, I woke up early. Sounds productive, right? Except… I somehow ended up meditating in the toilet for what felt like a spiritual retreat. You know those moments when your thoughts flow, ideas come alive, and you lose track of time? Unfortunately, on a cold toilet seat. When I finally stepped out, it was already late morning. Oops. Too much info? Probably. But hey, you’re my friend, you can handle the truth.
Anyway, today was supposed to be my daughters’ turn to cook. They promised to make Swedish meatballs from our last IKEA trip. But since everyone woke up late (thanks to our collective love for Sunday laziness), and my stomach started composing a sad ballad of hunger, I ended up cooking brunch myself.
Well, “cooking” might be too generous a word. Let’s say I heated up last night’s warteg dishes, added some protein therapy in the form of boiled eggs and tempe straight from the air fryer, and called it a balanced meal. The kitchen smelled like triumph and compromise. After that, it was my husband and kids’ turn to clean up. Fair trade, right?
Once my belly was full, I suddenly felt this overwhelming wave of sleepiness. You know that type of nap that feels like you’re being hugged by clouds? That was me. I fell asleep so deeply that when my daughter gently shook me awake at 1 PM, I felt like I’d just returned from another dimension. Time to get ready for church! The fourth session of Sunday service.
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| View from C4 seat |
The sermon was about excellence. I noted several quotes from Pastor Johannes Thelee:
Excellence is not perfection.
That simple line felt like a soft slap on the face; the good kind. Because I realized how often I confuse the two. Perfection is heavy. It demands, judges, and exhausts. But excellence? Excellence inspires. It’s about reflecting the greatness of God within us, not performing to please others.
We don’t perform excellence. We reflect excellence.
Sometimes, we chase excellence like it’s a trophy to win. The perfect parenting, the spotless home, the flawlessly executed plan. But in truth, excellence is not a performance. It’s a reflection. It flows naturally when our hearts are rooted in Someone greater.
A man on authority is actually a man under authority.
That one gave me chills too. It reminded me that real strength doesn’t come from control or dominance, but from surrender... from being grounded in God’s authority, not our own. The kind of excellence that shines through peace, patience, and integrity. Not through striving or showing off.
I started thinking about how this looks in everyday life. Like, if I really live this out, it’s not about having a perfect Sunday routine where everyone wakes up on time, cooks together harmoniously, and eats photogenic brunch in matching pajamas. It’s about how we respond when none of that happens. When things are messy, delayed, or ordinary... and still choose to show grace, gratitude, and love.
That’s excellence too.
After church, we went to Aeon supermarket for an early dinner. Don’t ask me why. Probably one of those “why not?” decisions that sound fun in theory. Actually, the plan started innocent enough: my youngest need to buy Citroen. But even paying for that one tiny thing took forever; the queue was ridiculous. Then somehow, we decided to eat there too. They have a food court inside, and we thought it’d be a cool new experience. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
First, everything took forever. Long lines everywhere. By the time we got our food, I had already mentally eaten it twice. Second, the waiting killed the vibe. Family dinners are supposed to be about connection, but when everyone’s scattered in different queues, the only conversation happening is through WhatsApp call: “Where are you?” “Queuing to pay.” “Could you just pick something for me too?” Third, it wasn’t even cheaper than a restaurant. We spent around 200k for four people (NOT including drink), which is basically what we’d pay at a cozy spot with actual chairs and ambiance. Honestly, for that price, we could’ve had lunch AND dinner at Mie Gacoan for the whole family, and left happier.
So yeah, lesson learned. Supermarkets are for groceries, not gastronomy. Whoever thought food courts inside supermarkets were a good idea probably never had to manage a hangry family.
But here’s the funny thing: even in that underwhelming dinner, I saw a glimpse of the sermon in real life. Excellence isn’t about perfect experiences or efficient outcomes. It’s about how we carry ourselves through imperfect ones.
We just laughed about the chaos later. The long lines, the skinny chicken, the “never again” verdict. And somehow, that made the day feel complete. Not perfect, but full.
Maybe that’s the quiet beauty of excellence. It’s in the way we reflect God’s grace in ordinary, slightly ridiculous, human days. In how we turn small frustrations into stories. In how we choose to still see goodness, even in an overpriced supermarket dinner.
Because when you think about it, excellence isn’t always about doing great things. Sometimes, it’s just about doing small things with great love, and a sense of humor.
And that’s how my lazy, chaotic, slightly holy Sunday turned into a reminder that God’s excellence doesn’t demand performance. It just asks for presence.
Excellence doesn’t always look glorious. Sometimes it looks like reheated warteg food, shared laughter, and a heart that chooses to stay grateful anyway.
Nuniek Tirta Sari
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