Sometimes “pretty good” isn’t “good enough”. I use the phrase “pretty good” a lot. Often I use it to describe something I think is really good. 

Maybe I’ve filled out too many surveys and evaluations to put everything in the excellent category. My default has become “pretty good” because it’s possible that something could be better but I don’t know it. I leave room for some improvement.

So when asked how dinner was, my “pretty good” means I really enjoyed it. 

When a hockey player scores an amazing goal, they get my “pretty good” approval.

To me pretty good isn’t sub-standard; it’s not mediocre; it’s not even good enough. Pretty good means it’s very good.

Recently a friend of mine moved his cottage. They built a foundation and basement on a piece of land. Then they jacked their cottage up and rolled it about six properties down the road to the new foundation.  

When I saw the pictures of all they had done and how it looked when they lowered the cottage on the new footings, I thought it was fantastic. I told him, “Man, that’s pretty good what you did there.”

I say all this about this phrase because I don’t give out a “pretty good” for just anything.

About a week and a half ago I was playing hockey. Halfway through our game I sat on the bench for ten minutes while they flooded the ice again. I think I got a little chilled because, when we got back on the ice, I noticed my back was a bit stiff – not bad, just tender. 

As I kept playing, I could feel my lower back tighten up. I even got to the point where I decided to call it quits before our ice time was up.

I don’t usually do that, but it was bugging me.

The next day I decided to give my back a rest. The morning after that, I again decided not to play because my back still didn’t feel quite right. It wasn’t bad, but I felt I had tweaked it slightly.

That was Christmas week and I didn’t have hockey until the end of it. 

Our annual Silcock Christmas gathering includes renting ice and playing with the kids and nephews. By then my back was feeling, well, you know – “pretty good”. I wouldn’t say it was perfect but it was feeling really good again – something like 85% good.

I thought playing hockey with the family would be just fine. And it was for most of it. 

But about three quarters of the way through, I stretched to receive a pass and felt my back tighten up. It wasn’t bad, but I did feel like I tweaked it again.

Now I’m going to have to miss hockey for at least another week. 

Sometimes “pretty good” isn’t “good enough”.

Here’s the thing: Many of us feel like we are “pretty good” and that should be good enough to get us in God’s good books. But being “pretty good” is not good enough when God is perfect. Pretty good will never match perfection. God knew this too, so He sent Jesus to be our sacrifice to make up the difference from being “pretty good” to being good enough for God. Take Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and trust Him to make you good enough for God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What does “pretty good” mean to you? Leave your questions and comments below.

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