Be Perfect

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.                                                                                Matthew 5:48

Have you ever read this passage and said, “Yeah right, be perfect. What a joke.” I talked with a client about that recently because this client often feels very, very far from perfect. In fact, he often feels terrible about himself.  The call to be perfect is like a cruel joke to him.

I told the client that every single person who ever lived probably harbors those same doubts, and even resentment that there is such a standard that they are so far from achieving. Then I gave my explanation of this to my client.

It is like we are on a road in life and there comes a fork in that road. Jesus invites us to a road toward fulfillment, but a road that others may not recognize. On that road, we will fail and make mistakes. We will not be perfect as we travel down that road, but that road leads to perfection. We are not perfect, but we are on the right road.

You know, if you take the wrong turn when you are on a trip, you can make good, fast progress, but you might be going in a wrong direction. That road will not take you to where you want to go. If you are on the right road, you might have difficulties, detours, potholes, accidents, you name it -but, you are on the right road! Follow that road and you will get to your destination.

The right road is the road to perfection, it is not perfection itself.  So, take heart. None of us is perfect, but we can take the road that leads there as we follow the lead of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus, the guide on the road, Amen.