Making Peace With Perfection - Encouragement Café - June 1, 2016

Making Peace With Perfection
By Connie Hughey
Wednesday, June 1, 2016

… the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.  1 Peter 5:10 AMP

Sometimes I wish I could be perfect.  I am a first-born; it comes with the territory.  According to Dr. Kevin Leman, the author of The Birth Order Book, a first-born can be goal-oriented, self-reliant and a perfectionist.

Oh, yes, I’m a first-born.

While I want to get everything right, I often feel frustrated that I can’t.  When I try to be perfect, I fail.  I can be very hard on myself when I don’t measure up.

I’ve discovered that God and I both want the same thing… for me to be perfected.  It’s just that our goals for what the final outcome will look like are completely different.

If I had my way, I would produce a perfect version of myself.  I would be me, at my best, without any problems or bad habits to hold me back.

That is not the outcome God has in mind.  His goal for me is to be conformed to the image of His perfect Son, Jesus.

For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…  Romans 8:29 NIV

I want to be perfect now.  God asks me to wait as He completes the process in me over time.  His grace covers me as He works out His will in my life.  I need that grace to seep into my very soul, giving God full control so that He can make me into who He wants me to be.

Now, when I am tempted to give up after failing in some way, I remind myself that God is not discouraged with me.  He continues to patiently work out His plan for my life.

My perspective has changed!  God and I have the same goal in mind - to make me complete, whole, and just like Jesus.  I am blessed to be a first-born who is being conformed to the image of God’s first-born Son.

You may not be a first-born like me, but we may share the same desire for perfection. 

How have you come to terms with your inability to be right all of the time?  Have you given God permission to perfect you?  If not, will you?

Dear Heavenly Father, we give our desire and need to be perfect over to You. Please take our lives and make us more like Jesus.

© 2013 by Connie Hughey.  All rights reserved.

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