Everything is Important
There’s an explanatory myth behind Singer’s “Everything is Important” mantra. Singer, the design and customization boutique that creates “optimum Porsche 911s,” was founded in 2009 by Rob Dickinson. Their obsessively wrought creations require approximately 4,000 hours of labor (with 750 hours allocated to pre-paint body prep alone) and can cost $500,000. So when an early employee complained about a detail he thought was too petty, asking if it was even important, Dickinson reportedly went berserk and shouted “Everything is important!” over and over again before grabbing a can of spray paint and writing it on the shop wall. It’s a neat story, and “Everything is Important” actually remains on the wall.
Is it a little extreme though? It depends on your relationship to Singer. If they’re building your dream car, that level of perfection is thrilling. If Singer is your employer, it must feel overbearing.
Throughout the centuries, people have felt similar levels of apprehension toward a perfect God. These feelings were not exactly assuaged when Jesus made this announcement during his first sermon:
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
It’s a verse that has left plenty of Christ-followers hunting for semantic nuances or contextual clues, and plenty of preachers looking for a different passage to preach on. But Jesus meant what he said. The level of perfection God expects is Godly perfection IF a person expects to earn salvation through their own merit. Jesus is making a point here: you can’t get to this level on your own. This kind of perfection isn’t earned. It’s given.
God’s perfection remains, however. He isn’t your overbearing boss, but he’s still the one in charge of the whole operation. His standards are much higher than anyone building any car, and the result isn’t a carbon fiber trinket but freedom, undying love, and eternal presence.
Author and theologian F.B. Meyer put it this way: “Your salvation does not depend on what you are but on what He is. For every look at self, take ten looks at Christ.” Maybe no one would look at you and call you perfect, or pay $500,000 for one of you. Maybe that stoplight you just ran wasn’t exactly yellow but more or less orange. So maybe consider spending more time looking at the perfection of Christ. God looks through the perfect life of Jesus and views you accurately as his perfect creation. To God, “everything is important” about you.
Interviews with Singer founder and CEO Rob Dickinson are littered with the word “obsession.” He spent hours – maybe days – perfecting the finish on the center HVAC vent. He employs the best suppliers and consultants: Ninemeister, S Car Go, Spinneybeck, Heuer, and Blaupunkt, and if the perfect part isn’t out there, it’s 3D printed. Maybe the only reason Porsche nerds are reasonably tolerant of these overworked cars is the relatable incurability of being so obsessed with perfection. In some ways, God can relate to that as well.
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