Be yourself 

Why is the promise of a “new you” such a powerful draw? 

Many of us freely acknowledge that nobody’s perfect–and then we turn around and try our hardest to be perfect, and feel guilt and shame when we inevitably fail. If we know on some level that perfection is an illusion, why do we spend so much time, money, and emotional energy trying to reach perfection, or at least to pretend that we did? 

Here’s the good news: God never intended for us to “be perfect.” And God never asked us to become someone else. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God wants you to become “a better person” (in other words, a different person). Rather, God’s desire is for us to become more fully ourselves, to be who we truly are. The truth Jesus reveals to us is that we are, already and always, God’s beloved children. 

This message is an excerpt of “Faith reflection: Perfectly imperfect” by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni in the December 2018 issue of Cafe.

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