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. Why do we spend so much time, money, and emotional energy trying to reach perfection?
It doesn’t help when we turn to the Bible and find Jesus saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Is faith really about being perfect like God?
Thankfully, there is good news hidden in this verse. The word we translate from the original Greek into English as “perfect” is telos, which is much better translated as “complete.”
Telos is really about the fulfillment of our purpose, like a seed that grows into a plant, blooms, and produces fruit.
God never intended for us to “be perfect,” and God never asked us to become someone else. God’s desire is for us to become more fully ourselves, to be who we truly are. We are, already and always, God’s beloved children. God has created us as diverse people and called us very good.
This message is excerpted from faith reflection “Perfectly imperfect” by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni from the December 30, 2018, Café online magazine.
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