Perfection

            The last couple of days I have spent trying to get the diplomas just perfect. I couldn't seem to get the watermark to line up perfectly with the certificate border on the paper I was using. This was very frustrating!
            Perfection! We spend a lot of time looking for perfection in our daily lives. We expect so much from the others in our lives, we often expect them to be perfect.
            I read an article once, about expectant parents. The author stated that parents spent the time waiting for their newborn asking that their child be "normal/average". Once the baby is born, they then spend their time expecting their child to be better in everything to the point of being perfect, leaving little room for mistakes. The child has to walk sooner than others, talk sooner than others, read sooner than others, be at the top of his/her class all through school. The author went on to say that rather than look to the gifts and talents the LORD gave the child, parents often expect perfection, often because these are the expectations we place on ourselves.
            What does our LORD have to say about perfection?
            He expects it from us! Surprised at the answer? Our God does expect us to be perfect. But it's not in the things we do. It's not a perfectly lined up diploma, a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie, or the perfect grade our child brings home in every subject in school.
            What our Father expects us to be perfect in, is our daily life, our daily sinless life. One of the differences in His expectation of our perfection and our expectation of perfection, is that He knows WE CANNOT BE PERFECT! We think we can be perfect!
            It is only in Christ that we can be made perfect. We cannot enter eternal life without being made perfect in Christ. We are told this in Matthew 5:48, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. And in Hebrews 10:14, For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
            So, as we end the school year and begin the summer months, let us remember that while we can do all things in Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). It is only through Him that we can be made perfect in our faith.
            Let us remember that while we strive for the best with our children, it is only through the LORD that we all will be made perfect.