Perfect???
Jesus offers these words at the conclusion of a difficult set of teachings in what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7). This imperative collides with the cultural wisdom, "Nobody's perfect."
Nobody's perfect at loving their neighbor.
Nobody's perfect at praying for their enemies.
Nobody's perfect at non-violence.
Nobody's perfect at keeping themselves from anger.
Everybody messes up, right?
And Jesus' words simply stare back at us from the page.
"Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" -- Matthew 5:48
Jesus offers these words at the conclusion of a difficult set of teachings in what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7). This imperative collides with the cultural wisdom, "Nobody's perfect."
Nobody's perfect at loving their neighbor.
Nobody's perfect at praying for their enemies.
Nobody's perfect at non-violence.
Nobody's perfect at keeping themselves from anger.
Everybody messes up, right?
And Jesus' words simply stare back at us from the page.
posted by FrGaryB | 9:29 PM
1 Comments:
My answer to this is "SLOW DOWN".
Growing up I had a friend who was a bit older than myself by 9 or 10 years. His family was from the hills of Tennessee with the slow Southern drawl and all. They were also, as we liked to call them, "Bible Thumpers".
I would inwardly laugh at him and his dad because when ever you asked either one of them a question, it seemed like it took them fore-evvverrr to answer. I just thought it was their hillbilly way. Now I understand and know better, especially since I myself have become a "Jesus Freak in training"!
You see for me it is not natural to give the answers God would have me give and act the way God would have me act. And if I just just react or give a quick answer my imperfection shines through, BIG and BRIGHT! But I find if I just slow down a bit, just enough to listen. To listen. Not just to the question, not just to myself but to the One I invited into my heart. It is these pauses, when I allow them to occur, that I might just hear the Holy Spirit helping me to be as perfect as I can be. One action or answer at a time.
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