Be Perfect | Sermon on the Mount
Welcome to Real Life. What does perfection look like?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.[1]
Jesus gave this command in his Sermon on the Mount. But, no one is perfect. So how can I live this out? What is God's idea of perfection?
For years, I battled perfectionism. (I still do at times.) I keenly felt my imperfections. I felt “less than,” like I wasn't quite as good as everyone else. Because I misinterpreted Jesus' words, I let them fuel an unhealthy drive for perfection. I tried to look flawless: I didn't drink or smoke or swear. I dressed well. I kept a clean house. I was always at church. I prayed and studied and volunteered. I attempted to fulfill everyone’s expectations.
Yet the harder I worked towards perfection on the outside, the harder my heart grew on the inside. I was slowly evolving into a Pharisee, a hypocrite. Instead of “less than,” I began to think I was “more than.” Who else was trying so hard? Who else was serving to exhaustion? …
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.[1]
Jesus gave this command in his Sermon on the Mount. But, no one is perfect. So how can I live this out? What is God's idea of perfection?
For years, I battled perfectionism. (I still do at times.) I keenly felt my imperfections. I felt “less than,” like I wasn't quite as good as everyone else. Because I misinterpreted Jesus' words, I let them fuel an unhealthy drive for perfection. I tried to look flawless: I didn't drink or smoke or swear. I dressed well. I kept a clean house. I was always at church. I prayed and studied and volunteered. I attempted to fulfill everyone’s expectations.
Yet the harder I worked towards perfection on the outside, the harder my heart grew on the inside. I was slowly evolving into a Pharisee, a hypocrite. Instead of “less than,” I began to think I was “more than.” Who else was trying so hard? Who else was serving to exhaustion? …