In Matthew 5:48, Jesus makes this statement: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (NIV)”.
The word ‘perfect’ causes some troubling feelings in the English language. The Oxford Dictionary defines perfect as “having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.”
But a recent email devotional prompted me to take a look at the original Greek that the word ‘perfect’ comes from, and its meaning shifted my perspective. The Greek word is teleios, and it actually means “complete.”
‘Complete’ brings a different vibe to the party than ‘perfect,’ don’t you think?
‘Perfect’ implies that you can’t mess up. That if you make mistakes, that’s the end. No going back.
‘Complete,’ on the other hand, reminds me of a journey. There are ups and downs, mistakes and lessons learned. And when you reach the end, the end product is solid and sturdy, something you can be proud of. It shows growth, rather than fear.
So when Jesus instructs us to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”, the hard truth is that we won’t attain that kind of perfection, or rather completeness, here on earth. It’s meant to encourage us to show up daily to the work of becoming more and more complete in Him, step by step.
This is part of our daily journey.
We are to take off the old self and put on the new self, which looks like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). In Christ, we are no longer the old but are rather a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are not to stay where we are, but continually grow become a new thing under the guidance and care of our Savior–to be sanctified continually throughout our lives.
While it is going to be work, becoming complete gives us a lot more grace for when we mess up… because it’s inevitable that we will mess up along the way!
I’d rather look at my life as a journey with room for ups and downs along the way than a chopping block that’s the end when I mess up. I’d rather work for completeness and become who I am supposed to be in Christ than worry about messing up so bad that there’s no coming back from it.
I choose becoming complete over becoming perfect.
I hope you’ll consider reframing your life in a similar way, and work toward building something solid that will age gracefully with you.
Reach for completion instead of perfection.
Blessings,
~Lynne
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