Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:47 – 48
I was listening to a talk the other day where we were challenged about how we live with a need for everything in life to be perfect. On surface level, wanting perfection doesn’t seem so bad. Surely it would make life so much easier; maybe it could protect us from life’s wounds and hurts, or just plain ordinariness.
So we look for the perfect man, the perfect career that fulfills and invigorates. The perfect marriage that is issue free! And how about perfect children too?
And it’s not just about others. We want the perfect body, to be the perfect person to make us acceptable. We want the perfect job that is fulfilling, fun and worthwhile. When it comes to our relationships, we’d like to be the best friend a girl could ever have. The best lover, wife, the best mother. And of course the best Christian.
Nothing wrong with any of that, right? Only that it’s an impossible goal in a broken world.
When Jesus talks of perfection (see the verse above) the word refers not to perfectionism (a cheap imitation if ever there was one), but wholeness and maturity that comes from a life spent walking with God. Wholeness recognizes that we cannot make it on our own, but that we surrender the broken fragments of our lives to him, discovering healing and dependence on the heavenly Father. Maturity recognizes that though our relationships aren’t perfect, they present the perfect opportunity for God’s kingdom to break in. The Message translation of the verse above says this:
“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
The irony is that for all our well meaning efforts, perfectionism is a mark of our Immaturity, perhaps even our pride. It relies on our abilities (or on the one we seek perfection from) to make life work! It ignores the vast potential found in our God given identity for wholeness, for freedom and power and kingdom living. Its humbling to realize that we cannot be all we long to be. Its hard to admit someone else can’t meet all our needs. But place that emptiness into the hands of the King, and watch His life begin.
