Saved and Unashamed

🍃Mirage perfection?🍃

✨P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N✨
This ten letter word has become the remote control of many people's minds and I was no exception to fall for its deception!
Now the question is, why was I so concerned about perfection? Why did I let it eat my thoughts up? Why did I let it transform me into someone I wasn't. It all starts with envy!

Wrong things that made me crave perfection:
❌Beauty: This was like my major concern a while back. I envied the way my age mates looked compared to my underaged looking body. Usually, you realise it doesn't really become an issue till you crave it to impress particular people (if you know what I'm saying). Remembering the nights I'll be annoyed with God for not answering my prayers for something as flimsy as for Him to take away my acne or make me curvy makes me cringe in disgust!
Why? Because according to Psalm 139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

❌Introversion: Let me just start of by saying it's okay to be an introverted person! You don't have to change yourself, else you may end up going astray. I almost lost my real personality because of this; did what she did, watched the tv shows he did and my whole mannerisms changed.
Trust me when I say it is in this why-am-I-so-weird state that the devil tempts us with ungodly things to try to keep our gullible minds occupied.

✅When I reaffirmed my faith however the most important thing I strived to be perfect at was my Christian faith!✅ And.... it didn't go so well as planned.
No matter how much I tried though I kept falling into sin and we all know how seriously frustrating that can be! So how do I become the perfect child of God in God's eyes? (This was definitely an eye-opener!)

The Oxford Dictionary describes perfection as the condition, state or quality of being free from all flaws or defects. (My first thought when I read the definition was, oh wow, so basically I need to be an immortal to be perfect?)

By definition perfection ought to be a human impossibility, a mirage maybe, I questioned?

God, being the author and representation of perfection, made the entire world in 6 days and said it was good! He perfected the world in his unique design and even perfected human beings specially by creating us in his own Image and likeness!

So what did God exactly mean when he stated clearly in all versions of the bible in Matthew 5:48 that we should be perfect just as our Heavenly Father was perfect? I mean, how can I live up to the standards of the creator of the universe???
Besides, even Paul said in Philippians 3:12 that, "I don't claim I've succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving (persevering) to win the prize (eternal salvation) for which Christ Jesus has won me to himself (through His death and resurrection).

Of course even Jesus admits that we are imperfect sinners in the following popular Bible verses;
1. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!~Romans 3:23
2. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us!~1 John 1:8
3. If we say that we haven't sinned, we make God to be a liar and His word is not in us.~1 John 1:10

So, I personally don't think therefore that the Christian calling is one to the "dictionary definition of perfection" because then all of humanity has failed Jesus' request in Matthew 5:48!

Consider the beautiful message from Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:7 which says, "Yet we who have this spiritual treasure (the power of God in us) are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us."

I know, you're thinking what does all this even mean? Well back then, the Corinthians were really into pottery, they made highly glazed and refined pots but also made rustic common clay pots as well. Those pots when fired produced so many cracks but that is what Paul uses to symbolise every Christian. We're like unrefined pots with cracks all over representing all our imperfections made up of our doubts, fears and anxiety that may or may not lead us to sin! But the unique thing about the cracked pots compared to the glazed ones are that, they allow God's light to shine to all like in Matthew 5:16 (Let your light shine before men that they may see and glorify your father who is in heaven!) How amazing is this perspective of viewing perfection?!

Who knows? Your good deeds that are reflecting through your imperfect body may outshine those cracks and the same way you view others as 'as close as it gets to perfect' so others may be viewing you in that way! Think about it carefully and don't be too quick to judge yourself.
Remember what God said that by their fruits, ye shall know them! A perfect person bears good fruits. What fruits are people plucking from your vine? Do they sweeten their lives by alleviating their suffering or are they toxic and poisonous to yourself, others and your relationship with God!

Also if we want to abstain from sin as much as possible(still a work in progress for me here) we have to watch a very powerful organ in the body: the tongue.
James 3:2 says, "All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being!" So another important factor (which I really need each day) to make you perfect easily in God's eyes is the power of self-control! May God grant us all this beautiful gift!!

As for Matthew 5:48, what I believe is we can only pray for grace to try our best to let our lights always shine brightly before men so that God's name will be glorified!
Also don't forget the greatest commandment: To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself, that sums up your perfection in Christ. God loves you and sees you as perfectly imperfect! Don't you ever forget that!

Unashamedly, Britney❣️