Sunday, “Best of” messages

March 14^th, ‘10

PERFECTIONISM

“…do well…” (1 Peter 2:20)

I want to draw a distinction between doing well and doing perfectly. When Jesus commanded that we “be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect” He certainly wasn’t talking about cooking a perfect omelet or mastering algebra. In many areas it is “good enough” to score an A-minus maybe even a C. Parents gloat over their straight-A students. Applause granted, but the kid might fare better in life if a C was tucked in there somewhere and was awarded with an ice cream cone. Perfect students end up as deans and professors of colleges but it is almost always the other average and imperfect student that writes the institution a charity check for a million dollars. In a non-perfect world perfectly dotting I’s and crossing T’s doesn’t matter all that much.

Wayne Dyer writes, “Instead of “Do your best in everything” as a credo for your children, try “Select the things that are important to you, and work hard at them, and in the rest of your life just do”. Just doing is fine for most tasks. Cleaning a room perfectly is a waste of energy since it will need cleaned again tomorrow or the next day. I’m not advocating sloppiness, rather doing well. If you are a professional violinist strive for being the best. But the concert violinist doesn’t have to kick herself if she can’t master auto mechanics. I would like to perfect my golf game but I just used a misnomer, no one can shoot perfect golf, not Tiger Woods, not anyone. Perfection is a myth in that sense. Paul wrote, “As many as be perfect be thus minded” (Phil 3:15). That is perfect imperfection. God sees us as perfect in Christ and will complete that perfection when we get to heaven.

Until then do well, but not perfectly. If the toast burns, big deal, it only takes two minutes for another batch. The elusive chase of perfectionism immobilizes, keeps us from capitalizing on the present and weighs us down with condemnation for failing to achieve. The joy is in the journey. Don’t be a slob, seek improvement, do well, but don’t bemoan your failures. They are integral parts of the learning process. Salvation is not performance based. Jesus cried, “It is finished!” so we wouldn’t have to spend the rest of our short time on earth trying to get it done. That affords relaxation. It dries needless sweat. It gives each permission to be his or herself, not to live by someone else’s standard of what is perfect or acceptable. The Bible is our code. I’m not sure anyone will completely master it, but we can at least be mastered by it. Walk by its light and you will de well.