I grew up United Methodist; I went to church every Sunday for my entire life (except for a couple years after I was confirmed, as per most 13-year-olds). I paid attention to the many pastors we had; most of them were really bright and not all that boring. I felt the call to the ministry at 15 and, eventually, went to Drew Theological School where I studied and worked towards ordination. At 25 (with a year of pastoring under my belt) I stood before Bishop Neil Irons and the entire company of representatives of clergy and lay people from the churches of the Northern New Jersey Annual Conference to answer the traditional questions of faith that had been asked since John Wesley had written them in the 1700’s. One of those questions was, “Do you believe you will reach perfection in this life?” My answer was, “No”. Neil leaned in and said, “Steve, the answer is yes.” I responded, “No – nobody is perfect in this life except for Jesus.” Neil sighed and moved on to the next person. I was ordained in spite of it.
I never heard the doctrine of perfection preached about and had only come across it briefly in one class that treated it as if it were roadkill. One older pastor, when he heard of my exchange with Neil, chuckled and said that this doctrine was ridiculous and that nobody believed in it. Another explained that it meant becoming perfect in love, which, again, I said no to. I believe we move on to perfection after death because we are united with God and the communion of saints, but in this life? Nope. Try as we might, none of us can be perfect as long as we live; it is a trap that too many people believe is possible. It is quicksand for the soul. It is a lie.
My elementary music teacher, Mr. Wise, used to say, “practice makes better.” This was 50 years ago, and I still remember it (thank you, teachers!) Even God, in the act of creation, proclaimed to all who could hear (metaphorically) that the best work God can do is “Very Good”. God is perfect; Jesus was perfect (even with His occasional emotional outburst); we are not. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better every day (maybe this is what Mr. Wesley meant); to give up on one’s need to evolve is an act of weakness. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t repent and promise to do better the next time. But even that resolve to be better will never bring us to perfection. Be all you can be, but don’t count on getting it perfectly right. That’s a fool’s errand.
So, good luck today. Live every moment as if it matters, because it does. Help people when you can. Give what you are able and do your best. Love God and each other. And forgive yourself. God wants better from us but, I think, doesn’t expect perfect. If that were the case, God would have made us perfect to begin with; but we aren’t. Nobody can create a self-improvement program that takes them from being flawed to being perfect. We can hold two things in our minds; God loves us and expects more from us. Now go and be the best person you can be. Make God proud.
Prayer – We thank You God for creating us in Your image, imperfect as we are. Help us to be a blessing today. Amen.
Today’s art is from Refik Anadol.