If I said,
“We don’t live in a perfect world.”
Almost everyone reading this blog would say, “no!” Some of you would say, “What was your first
clue, Sherlock?” Others would say, “Now
tell me something I don’t know.” In
fact, it would be hard to find anyone on
the planet who thinks this world is perfect unless the word “mess” is added
after the word “perfect”. One only
needs to take a quick look around to realize that this world is broken. In fact, the Bible says that “For we know
that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and
death as they await this great event.
So, here’s my question. IF
everyone agrees that this world is far from perfect, WHY do so many of us chase
perfection trying to attain, to lay hold, of it? We look for the “perfect spouse.” We move from job to job hoping to find the
perfect job. We transfer from one
college to another hoping to find a “perfect career.” We spend hours and even days looking for our
“dream home.” Some people use it as a
reason for not attending church. As
Christians, we even move from one church to another expecting that we will find
the “perfect church.” You’re sitting
there right now in your easy chair or at your desk thinking, “You’re
right. I always look for perfection.
What’s so bad about that?
First, When
we are always looking for perfection, it
robs us of contentment. If I am living
in a two story house but I want a one
story ranch house with a built in swimming pool, I will never be content with
the two story house I have. Over and
over in the Bible we are encouraged to “Be content.” The writer of Hebrews puts it this way. “… be content with what you have, because God
has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Until I accept the fact, that everyone and
everything in this world are flawed, I will keep looking for perfection in an
imperfect world. I am also doomed to
wander through life discontented looking for the perfect people and things.
The second
problem with this mentality is that it can lead to disillusionment. If you hold out for “Mr. or Mrs. Right”,
imagine how you’ll feel when three to five years into a marriage, you discover
the flaws in that person you married.
You will end up discouraged and disillusioned because no one and nothing
is perfect.
Am I saying
that we do not need to have standards and strive for the best? NO, of course not! We just need to be aware that at the end of
the day life is not perfect and accept some imperfection as what adds character
to our life. A few years ago we had a
van that we all liked. We decided to use
it on a trip to the middle of our state.
On the way back, a bear with a death wish jumped the median of the
interstate and darted into our lane of traffic.
Withing seconds, the Bear was laying in the middle of the throughway
dead, and the driver’s side of our poor van was crunched. We drove the vehicle home and got the van
fixed, but the panel was black on a brown van.
We could have painted the panel to match the rest of the van, but we decided to enjoy the
imperfection. What a better Choice than
stressing over painting and trying to add another expense! We had a ton of fun explaining how and why
the one side of the automobile was a different color. When we allow others whether it’s a spouse,
employer, pastor or friends the luxury of being imperfect sinners we may find
ourselves enjoying the ride of life a little more. We may be able to celebrate the flaws in
those that God puts in our path. We may
also discover that we are enjoying the imperfections.
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