"N"ot "O"ne of us is "P"erfect

Okay, okay so I'm about 3 days behind but friends, life often gets in the way and we just have to roll with it.  And today's title reminds me of just that, we aren't perfect so we have to learn to just keep moving forward the best we can.

I will admit to you, I am a perfectionist.  I strive to be perfect.  I strive for perfection in all I do.  Parenting, being a daughter, grand-daughter, wife, friend...all of it, I want perfection.  And when I don't hit the mark that I think I should hit, I get angry with myself.  And bless him, my son is the exact same way.  My poor husband has to deal with two OCD perfectionist in the same house...bless it!

But does God expect us to be perfect?  Does God get angry and disappointed in us when we don't hit the mark he has set for us?  Friends, NO!  The pressure for perfection is put on us by ourselves!  I can remember when Matthew was younger, he would get so frustrated when he messed up at school or had an argument with a friend or didn't play his best at his ice hockey game.  Oh he would get so down on himself and I used to tell him, "Can you walk on water?".  And the obligatory answer would always come out, nope.  And I would gently remind him, only Jesus can walk on water so only Jesus can hit the mark on perfection.  Of course, I don't always give myself the same advice.

Friends, Jesus is the only person EVER to be perfect.  Jesus is the only person EVER to be sinless.  And I find it so fitting that as we are celebrating Holy Week this week and beginning our walk to the cross that God has brought perfection to my heart.  

God created Jesus for a purpose.  Jesus was brought to walk this earth to be our atoning sacrifice so that we may be found blameless before God.  2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.   Jesus is the only man who can be called perfect and used by God for our salvation.

  ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  Romans 3:24-26

Oh the love God has for us!  To sacrifice His only Son for us.  Our sinning, horrible, ugly selves are seen as blameless and righteous before God all because Jesus sacrificed his life for ours.  If you realize nothing else today, realize that YOU are part of God's plan.  You are part of the Easter story because Christ died for you and YOU are not expected to be perfect but rather obedient.  God doesn't look at our mistakes and keep a tally, we do that ourselves.  God doesn't look at us and expect perfection, we do that.  God does look at us with love, mercy, compassion and grace and expects us to be obedient children.  

We are our own worst critics.  God accepts us as we are, scars, flaws, and imperfections. If he accepts us, we need to then accept ourselves as we are.   Gloria Gaither has stated, "Being loved by Him whose opinion matters most give us the security to risk loving, too- even loving ourselves".  We have to love ourselves, just as we are, imperfect.  We will never be good enough in our eyes but through the eyes of God, we are no longer stained with imperfections but seen white as snow, clean and righteous.

As we enter into the final days of Christ, let us remember, Christ died for all of us.  Christ sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us.  Christ took on the sin that we could never take on ourselves.  Perfection doesn't exist in our world but rather with Christ.  

So instead of spending time worrying about trying to be the perfect parent.  The perfect servant of Christ.  The perfect spouse.  The perfect child or friend, remind yourself of Philippians 4:8-

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.

Don't waste a moment of this life fretting over a perfection that we will never attain, instead, meditate on the things of God.  Don't allow yourself to become so wrapped up in society's expectations that you miss what God has for you.  One final thought from Joyce Meyer, "God is not hard to please.  He does not expect us to be absolutely perfect.  He just expects us to keep moving towards Him and believing in Him, letting Him work with us to bring us into conformity to His will and ways".

Let go of the idea of perfection (trust me, I'm a work in progress too) and instead allow yourself to sit at the feet of God knowing that His love is made perfect in you.