Vignette #002: Quality Consciousness

  Quality Consciousness

I have a small confession to make. I am usually not a very quality oriented person at the workplace or at home.

When I write at work, I do so very haphazardly. I neither take the interest nor the time to do my work well. My chief aim is to reach the day’s target rather than deliver quality work. Now that I think about it I don’t patiently craft each sentence. I don’t ponder over what words to write. For professional and timely writing there is another set of rules I adhere to. I focus more on speed, clarity and functionality. This brings me to talk about the quality of the work we turn in at work.

There is this proverb in the book of Proverbs that pricks my mind. It goes like this in the Good News Translation: “Show me someone who does a good job, and I will show you someone who is better than most and worthy of the company of kings.”

I’ll share a story about a friend of mine. For two weeks, my friend’s cook didn’t turn up, and she was forced to do the cooking. She took so much trouble over making the dishes that I was surprised at the amount of attention to detail she put in. When I cook, I again focus on completing the job on time, rather than serving up a lip-smacking dish. Not my friend. She diced when the recipe said to dice, chopped finely when it said to chop finely, poured hot water when it said to pour hot water. She followed every recipe to the T. If the recipe called for four bay leaves she used exactly four bay leaves, nothing more, nothing less! What a perfectionist!

I always approximate or take shortcuts when following a recipe.

Some months later, this same friend attended Breakthrough 2019 which is a program at the Assemblies of God Church Park Street. The Tamil Pastor’s wife prophesied over her saying that she was a person who did her work with all her heart and that was a sweet fragrance to God.

I was very, very surprised to know that God notices such small aspects of our life. From then on I began to wonder why I never took the same interest in my work. Whenever I do anything I never aim for excellence. I’m satisfied with the bare minimal. Then I read this verse and it got me thinking.

I think the best way to test the quality of your work, is to let your heart be the judge. Or your conscience.

But in the workplace and at home, no matter what task we are assigned, quality matters, and so does diligence.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.