Monday, July 1, 2013

The Pursuit of Perfection

"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

You are beautiful and amazing. In the eyes of God you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:19). It is our own negative perceptions and the labeling that we accept from others that skews our true beauty. It is easy to accept the stereo types and negative images placed on us by society. Our response is driven  by our choice to believe and receive it as our own identity.

Who said that you are too fat, skinny, helpless, ugly, stupid, poor, hopeless, etc.? Your success remains locked in your ability to see past  lies to welcome truth. Discerning the truth about yourself is the most important practice you will ever engage in. What is your truth? There is an aspect of truth about each of us  that we would like to change or not accept. However, coming to terms with every inch of who we are leads us to a place of power and freedom.

For a long time I believed that I had to be perfect in order for God to love me. I though it was my "good acts" that prompted God to love and bless me. As a result, I wrapped my self-esteem in how well I did. The more spotless my tracks the more I felt good about how God was going to respond to my need. I had a difficult time with my failures. In fact, I did my best to ignore them which made constructive criticism next to impossible for me to accept. I had no idea that in my attempt to run from my flaws I was missing out on the opportunity to grow and experience the power of God working in my life. In this, I headed for a huge fall from self righteousness. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). One person is not better than another.

God is not looking for our perfection. He is perfection. He is love (1 John 4:8). There is nothing we can ever do to earn his love and grace in our lives.  He is looking for our humility. He gave his son Jesus Christ so that we may come into his perfection and experience a life free of self contempt and condemnation. Through His grace we can turn the most dreadful things about ourselves into a beautiful story of triumph and victory.

It is in our weakness that we can surrender to God and pronounce our profound need of His presence in our lives. Pursuing some facade of perfection is a myth that leads to a dead end. There is nothing wrong with you or how you were made. The sooner you can accept this reality the better and more fulfilling your life will be. The only entity of perfection worth pursuing is the presence of Jesus Christ in your heart. God is always ready and willing.

COPYRIGHT (2013). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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