(SUBTITLE: BEATRICE, BERT, & BELIEVERS)
“You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 Amplified Bible)
Beatrice’s days of working from home sadly ended a couple of week’s ago. Where sweatpants, shorts, and saggy jeans made dressing for the workday super easy, she now has to go back to defending her self-anointed title as “The Best Dresser in the Workplace.” What used to take a few quick minutes to get ready for work has been replaced by the resurfacing of the much longer prep time, and “much” means much. Now, Beatrice’s make-up have to be perfect. Shoes and jewelry have to perfectly match the outfit she picks out for the day. The latter, picking out an outfit, that itself takes up much more time too. And yes, I mean “much!’ Beatrice does not want to leave the house with any imperfections. On the occasions that she arrives at work, and she discovers that what she thought was perfect, was not perfect at all, evident by a lack of compliments and/or the silent looks that became vocal and said loudly, “What was she thinking?” Those types of things, dealing with imperfections, just bring Beatrice down.
Enough about Beatrice. Bert does the same thing. He is not matchy-matchy, but he has a style that he personally considers perfect. While other men don’t usually say much about another man’s attire to their face, Bert’s male friends fail to hide their opinion about his style. Their uncontrollable facial expressions and up and down looks are like an unsettling alarm going off with a repetitive warning, “Imperfection! Imperfection! Imperfection!” That alarm sounds exactly like people in Bible times saying aloud, “Leper! Leper! Leper!” If Bert senses any of these unwanted looks or unappreciated alarms, he may not show it, but he too, like Beatrice, has a hard time dealing with imperfections.
Okay, we have reported on Beatrice and gave an account dealing with Bert, now it is time for us, believers. Face it! We all have some imperfections that the Lord is working on. We all still have a need for the Potter to shape us in His hands as clay. We don’t always avoid disputes and dissentions. We have a tough time forgiving, at times. We have had brief outbursts of anger, brief, but nonetheless it had its negative impact on a relationship for days on top of days. Goodness, patience, kindness, and self-control are not perfectly displayed in our character occasionally. We are still working on controlling our tongues. We have suppressed grudges that surface unconsciously. Our criticism of others is easy, but the self-evaluation of ourselves is often overlooked. We all have some imperfections.
For believers, we must deal with our perfections by striving to negate them. It is pertinent that we deal with imperfections by realizing the truth about what imperfections reveal. What do imperfections reveal? They reveal that we still have to make perfect progress in this life, no matter how long we have been on the Christian journey. They reveal that we need to be submissive to the Lord’s working on us, as He helps us alleviate or negate our imperfections. Don’t let our imperfections pull you down, but let them serve, once recognized or once brought to our attention by Holy Spirit, let our imperfections serve as steps you will climb up, transcend over as we strive for perfection. Don’t hold back! Work on your “holy” designation! The challenge of dealing with our imperfections is continuous. Well, I got to go work on my imperfections myself! Join me, and work on yours! We will come out better! Have a great Tuesday! Be blessed!
“You shall be blameless (complete, perfect) before the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 18:13 Amplified Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King