My grandfather used to live halfway between my high school and my house, so once a week I stopped there on my way home. He always spoiled me with his very best efforts. Microwave-cooked boerewors with toast, dried fruit and as a special treat for dessert – jelly that didn’t dissolve completely before it was put in the fridge. Honestly, the food was not great, yet everything was perfect. The beauty wasn’t in the physical, it was in the time together, in his servant heart and in the perfect bond we shared as two imperfect people.
I like perfect though. It has always been important to me to live right, to make the right choices, to be obedient to my superiors and to be kind to others. I’ve known God from a young age and knew that His requirement was for perfection, which is why He sent His Only Son to earth to pay the penalty for my sins. I knew that only through accepting Jesus as my Savior, would I be accepted by God as faultless. But then I must also endeavor to remove sin from my life and live according to God’s Word which holds the roadmap for my life. Therefore, I strive for perfection, for perfect righteousness – God’s standard.
After trying it for more than 30 years, I can tell you that it is exhausting! Everyone has sinned and falls short of God’s standard (Rom 3:23) and so have I, but I have been fighting my flaws for all my life. I have always tried my utmost best not to hurt anyone in any way, but in fearing failure, I’ve failed. In always showing my perfect, I’ve also shown judgement for others’ shortcomings. My actions showed my desire to solve imperfections but lacked compassion. I was horrified when I realized my good intentions didn’t result in the right behavior and that people I deeply care about got hurt in the process. It was time to face the truth about me. The truth about my imperfections and the consequence of chasing perfect.
The truth is that I am not perfect, but that I am accepted regardless. The truth is that I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and therefore have everything necessary for me to be perfect in the sight of God – not the sight of men. The truth is that when God looks at me, He sees Jesus. I will never be able to attain perfect righteousness, but I do have imputed righteousness because of Jesus. And embracing the truth – that I’m already perfect and accepted – I can live according to that truth. This means that I am putting on the breastplate of righteousness. I accept the truth about me – that I am justified, in right standing with God and spotless. I am enough – flaws and all. Accepting that, makes the weight drop off my shoulders. I don’t have to get everything right. I don’t have to know all the answers. I don’t have to be everything to everyone. I don’t have to do all the right things at all the right times. I just need to be me. Still imperfect on the outside, but perfect on the inside.
Priscilla Shirer explained it so well in The Armor of God study: “The belt of truth bore some of the weight of the other pieces of armor, relieving pressure from the shoulders. Without it, the soldier was forced to bear the full weight of everything – most notably the cumbersome breastplate, which otherwise would wear down his energy, making him far less effective in battle. Without the belt of truth, you’re left with the burdensome responsibility of carrying the full weight of your own “breastplate” – your own “righteousness”. Instead of God fulfilling your requirement for righteousness, you’re on the hook for it. Instead of God making you acceptable in His sight through the sacrifice of His Son, you’re responsible for somehow proving yourself spotless and perfect in His sight.”
Putting on the breastplate of right living, means that I accept the truth of what God says about me, and allow the Holy Spirit to change me from the inside out. The breastplate protects my heart, which contains my thoughts, my feelings and my ambitions and serves as a moral compass to highlight where I still need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. I can only imagine Paul’s surprise when he witnessed how his own and his fellow Christians’ lives and attitudes changed over time and realized that it matched what Jesus exhibited while He walked on this earth. He witnessed the fruit of the Spirit being released onto all of them and realizing it was an achievement of the Spirit, not themselves, wrote what he had witnessed as a result: love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, self-control, tender-heartedness, humility and faithfulness (Gal 5:22).
Our Father has shown us such an incredible quality of love, that we are named and called and counted as children of the living God (1 John 3:3). Jesus is the True Vine, and the Father is the Vinedresser. God – not us – cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. If we remain vitally united to our Father, His words will remain in our hearts and in bearing much fruit, God will be glorified through us (John 15:1-8). I don’t need to pursue perfection, I only need to pursue Christ and open my heart – all of who I truly am – to my Father and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
[Collage created using Pinterest images]
Dankie dat jy jou hart deel. Dit is alles so waar. Terwyl ek dit lees besef ek jy is n vrou na God se hart.