One of the Stations of The Cross inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Have you ever noticed when you are around perfection, true beauty, that you begin to feel inadequate, or infinitely small? When we stand next to perfection we become acutely aware of our imperfection.
God is perfection, and He asks us to be perfect also. I believe that our entire life is a journey to perfection. Once perfection, in a spiritual sense, (and really there is no other perfection) is achieved, we have lived out our earthy orbit and God brings us to live in Life Eternal with Him.
The goal, then, is perfection. The goal is to become like God. As we strive to do so, we make many mistakes, and in our struggles we feel like failures. I love the explanation for this given in one of my daily devotionals, “God Calling” by A.J. Russell. “The nearer you get to Me, the more will you see your unlikeness to Me. …Your very deep sense of failure is a sure sign that you are growing nearer to Me.”
The more we strive for perfection and to be like God, the more we will see that we are not. We will feel the pain of inadequacy, of failure, stronger than if we just didn’t care one way or the other. “God Calling,” explains further, “Remember too, it is only struggle that hurts. In sloth, spiritual or mental, or physical, there is no sense of failure or discomfort, but with action, with effort, you are conscious not of strength but of weakness–at least, at first. That again is a sign of Life, of spiritual growth. And remember, My Strength is made perfect in weakness.”
We need not become to discouraged by our shortcomings and failures. Being aware of them is half the battle. Our feelings of remorse can drive us to strive harder to attain perfection. To become like Him, we must truly know Him. We must draw near to Him through His Word. He must be in the forefront of our thoughts, and as He is, we will unconsciously grow more and more like Him. If we are sincerely devoted to becoming like Him, to becoming a Saint, God will see and bless our efforts.
Surround yourselves with everything that is good. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
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