a few centimetres

Of all the things I miss about Canada, CBC Radio has got to rank in the top 5. And of all the CBC Radio shows I tuned into regularly, Ideas with Paul Kennedy was my favorite.

I recently went crazy downloading a million Ideas podcasts and came across an interview with Chinese architect Yung Ho Chang.

Chang's father (also an architect) gave him some advice years ago that he considered boring then:

"All an architect needs to do from time to time is to work out those few centimeters to make an apartment a little more comfortable."

Chang went on to say that given the forces of ego and a market economy, architecture is too often about making grand artistic statements rather than improving the lives of everyday people.

"So much of what is for sale is exaggerated, not practical, wasteful...selling an image not substance."

Architect or not, this was an unexpected reminder that I need to constantly adjust the way I look at "achievement" and "work". That what people value highly is generally not what God values highly.

What would "working out those few centimetres" look like in my day to day work? What would "making an apartment a little more comfortable" for someone else look like?

It's too easy to get sucked into delusions of stardom, and then be discontent at every workplace situation that doesn't feed our appetite for stardom--all the while in danger of completely missing out on the real work that God has assigned to us each day.

More about Yung Ho Chang here: Interview with Chang