The Imperfect Man

"Let this be thy whole Endeavour, this thy prayer, this thy desire, that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only."  - Thomas a Kempis

Perfection. The noun "perfection" as defined is: "the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects." Many of us strive for it in our personal relationships, hobbies, sports and leisure activities, body image, and the list goes on. It even becomes a detrimental obsession or elusive dream to those who desperately chase after it.

Christians, too, can be duped by the siren call of perfection. We can fall under the spell of seeking perfection in various forms, such as trying to live perfect lives, have perfect families, marry a perfect spouse, or be involved in a perfect work situation to name a few.

The world is not perfect, and neither are we. We fight, get hurt, lose, fail, and argue with one another. Perfection is not possible; at least not on this side of heaven. Even the apostles themselves were not exempt from showing their "imperfect" humanity. I know this may sound a little crazy but it's true!

Check out Acts 15:36-41 and you'll see an example of what I mean. There is a definite disagreement between the apostles Paul and Barnabas. This is interesting because I never really thought about the apostles arguing or disagreeing about anything. In my mind they embodied perfection.

Later on forgiveness and reconciliation smoothed things over between the two. But the big takeaway from this example in scripture is that aside from Jesus himself, the apostles were as imperfect as you and I. So don't be too hard on yourself, or blame God if perfection is always just out of reach (Proverbs 19:3).

Just because the apostles walked with Christ didn't make them perfect by default. At times they were vigorous, united, and harmonious. At others, they were just as weak, cowardly, and insecure as we are. Simply put, they were human. Therefore, they were imperfect (1 Corinthians 2:14).

We mustn't beat ourselves up for a lack of perfection in our lives. It just isn't a possibility in our sinful and corrupted world (Jeremiah 17:9). Does this mean that we should just throw our hands up and surrender?

There are some things we can do to help you overcome the hypnotic effect of perfection? Pray for guidance, wisdom, and support. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and mercy. Take comfort in knowing that none of us are perfect, but we do have a perfect Father in heaven who will never turn you away  (1 John 4:16).

Scripture: Matthew 15:19; Isaiah 55:8; 2 Timothy 1:7; Galatians 4:16; Isaiah 48:10

Prayer: Dear Lord, sow in me the good seed of humility; and under the wings of your grace hide me through your mercy, amen

Have a blessed Monday!

Hailey