Slightly Imperfect

Yesterday I was browsing through the catalog of an online store and came across their "Slightly Imperfect Store." What a great find! There were items for slightly imperfect Christians, slightly imperfect academics, slightly imperfect children (available for selection by age group), and slightly imperfect parents. At last, just what we need for the world we live in!

Just kidding! The sales were actually for "slightly imperfect" Christian books and scholarly tomes, "slightly imperfect" children's resources, and "slightly imperfect" parenting and home life guides. "Slightly Imperfect" caught my eye first because it is so true! We would like to think that there is such a thing as a perfect Christian or perfect parents with perfect kids. There isn't, but that is no reason to give up!

Our understanding of "perfect" is just not perfect! The call to perfection in Scripture is not to life with no mistakes or failures or "bad calls." It is the expectation that we will seek to be complete, thoroughly prepared, full of integrity, mature. This requires a process of growth, sometimes painfully achieved! "And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:4-8 NLT)

"I ain't what I oughta be, and I ain't what I'm gonna be, but thank God, I ain't what I used to be!" With gratitude for having come a long way already, let's acknowledge that we're still slightly imperfect and like Paul, "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 KJV)

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked KJV is from the King James Version.