The Enemy of Perfection

In this human existence, there is no such thing as perfect - but God's love makes that fact tolerable.  In a fallen world, there is no perfect product, no perfect idea, no perfect relationship, no perfect effort.  In church there is no perfect program, no perfect sermon, no perfect worship service.  We are constantly swimming in a life of imperfections.  Yet from the moment we can think and act we are conditioned to pursue perfection.  A 95 isn't quite 100, our bodies don't look like the airbrushed ones in magazines, our families don't operate like the ones in the TV shows.  And so we constantly seek to be more, to be better, to be closer to perfect.  The whole idea is that we can somehow "arrive" if we work hard enough.  We can achieve perfection in our education by getting the highest degree, or in business by getting the next promotion, or in sports by reaching the next level.  But perfect isn't there when we arrive!  Ask anyone who's "made it"!  Perfect is just a mirage to keep us chasing, the end of a rainbow that can never be reached.  The Good News is that God doesn't ask us to be perfect as the world sees perfect, He commands us to be perfect as He is perfect - in love.  To experience the freedom of the Christian life, we must abandon the paradigm of pursuing advancement, achievement, and success as if these paths can satisfy the longings of our souls.  They cannot and will not.  When I stand before my maker (both now and at the end) I will not be judged by how closely I came to being what my fallen mind or this fallen world considers ideal.  I am seen through the lens with which God sees all creation - that of a relationship of love.  My 6 month old son is perfect to me.  Not because he doesn't cry or spit up or have leaky diapers or sleepless nights, but because in my love for him, I am satisfied with his very existence as my child.  My love will not be dictated by whether or not he becomes flawless in the areas which babies tend to have "issues".  May our hearts, energies, ideas, and efforts go toward being perfected in Love with our Savior, not being perfected into the image that our confused minds and world would have us seek.