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No one is perfect… that’s why pencils have erasers. – Author Unknown

Once you accept the fact that you’re not perfect, then you develop some confidence. – Rosalynn Carter

Try as hard as we may for perfection, the net result of our labors is an amazing variety of imperfectness.  We are surprised at our own versatility in being able to fail in so many different ways. – Samuel McChord Crothers

This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfection. – St. Augustine

Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable. – Lord Chesterfield

If a man should happen to reach perfection in this world, he would have to die immediately to enjoy himself. – Josh Billings

Perfection.

I’ve probably been pondering this subject for nearly a year now. At least. Perhaps even longer.

And maybe not just perfection but the reality of imperfection.

Perhaps it all boils down to the fact that between high school and now, I seem to have become a “gold” personality…

Actually, as I just wrote the previous sentence, I thought… is this true? Back in October, I took a rather comprehensive personality test and learned that I’m an ENTJ but right now I was thinking more along the lines of the four colors personality profiles (orange, gold, green, blue).

Back in HS, I remember ranking as: 1) Orange, 2) Gold, 3) Green, and 4) Blue. (Quickly, orange is outgoing/spontaneous, gold is responsible/organized, green is pensive/thinker, and blue is emotional)

Anyway, getting back from this tangent, I found this quick test at truecolorscareer which told me that I am now green?

Here’s what it says…

You are an exceptionally creative problem solver who brings your ability to think outside the box to the workplace. You are a conceptual, analytical, and logical thinker. To you knowledge is power and your insatiable thirst for understanding and information is what drives you. You are an incredible problem solver but once the goal is accomplished you lose interest and need to move on. The challenge is in the ideas and not the details or implementation of your creations. Leave those things to another type that enjoys doing these things.

You are an independent worker who detests routine and prefers to work alone on projects and you often gravitate toward leadership roles. You could be a good computer programmer, scientist or researcher. You usually find entrepreneur and independent contract work appealing, but see the book for a more thorough list.

["see the book"? Haha, basically, the site is trying to sell a book on what career fits one's personality. Check it out if you "hate your job?" =P]

Odd. But I also noted a few other places which mentioned that greens tend to be perfectionists. So perhaps, I have indeed become greener since my high school days. =)

But back to perfection.

Why has it been on my mind?

Perhaps it’s because I am a perfectionist. When I look at a document, the first things that jump out at me are all the grammatical errors! Does it bother you when you see normal dashes (-) mixed in with em-dashes (–)? Do you even know/see the difference? =P Or how about .95 line spacing or 10 vs. 11 font or different shape/size bullets or missing commas and periods?

And yet, inevitably, there will almost always be a handful of errors that escape even my highly discerning eyes.

In my pursuit of perfection, the end result almost always reflects some measure of imperfection.

The question then arises, Is it possible to attain perfection in this world?

According to the last quote I found up above, I suppose not.

But hey, we do live in a fallen world… so what can we expect?

In this day and age, even searching for answers within God’s Word has become a simple matter of typing in keywords into sites such as Biblegateway.

How does God define perfection?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-48 ESV

According to Matthew, we ought to be perfect. As our heavenly Father is perfect. But what is that?

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:10-18 ESV

Perhaps the answer is love. God is love and if we abide in love, God abides in us and love is perfected with us.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12:14 ESV

And to live in a state of perfect harmony , we ought to practice compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… basically, live life in a way that we bear much fruit (of the Spirit)…

And aside from love, the Bible also says that perfection comes through the testing of our faith which produces steadfastness:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. – James 1:2-5 ESV

And in those trials and testing, it’s not our own strength and will that allow us to overcome and achieve victory… it is the power of Christ working through us because by His grace, we can boast in our weaknesses:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV

Perfection is about love. Perfection is about perseverance. And perfection is also about pursuit. The pursuit of Christ:

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me .” – Matthew 19:21 ESV

Last weekend while visiting my brother at Berkeley, the pastor speaking that day at Berkland spoke on this passage (well, not exactly from Matthew but a parallel passage in Mark).

His main point was that, the emphasis on that passage was not on “sell everything”… but on “follow me”…

In living our lives, what is it that keeps us from fully following Christ?

For many, perhaps the struggles and routine of every day life wear away at our inner being and dim the passion and fire that once burned brightly for God.

Some of my most recent thoughts on this subject come from very recent experiences having to do with cars. (No, not the movie, but the movie was good too! =P)

At least here in California, unlike many East Coast states, cars are a source of pride and joy for many. Perhaps to an excessive extent. I’ve heard stories of young working people who lease $50,000 cars while living in tiny, unfurnished apartments because most of their paycheck goes to making car payments.

Anyway, while applying a fresh coat of wax to my car recently with BP, several thoughts resurfaced in my mind.

The first of these was this:

No matter how hard I strive for perfection, there will always be some imperfection in whatever it may be. I am learning to live with imperfections though. Whether it be stains, blemishes, mismatched buttons caused by button mashing, dents, dings… these are the results of every day life and it is impossible to maintain everything in a pristine state. (For some reason, I like to believe that everything will last forever… which is maybe why I don’t see the need for shopping for things like clothes… if my clothes from the 1990s still fit and function… why waste money to be more “fashionable” when what I already have is still perfectly functional? =P But then, the materialistic part of all of us wants to get the newest car, laptop, iPod, cell phone, fancy gadgets, etc.)

And yet, where I still am at fault is my current inability to forget… while I no longer seek to correct every imperfection in my life, I tend to keep track of and remember each and every fault…

Back to my car… I know the location of each ding, dent, scratch… and maybe even when/how they occurred. Unnecessary.

But the second thought resulted from a comment by BP about the condition of a car’s paint:

Maybe we are all like cars in a way. We are created to be perfect when we roll out of the factory. (And if you’re a Lexus, you’re the “Pursuit of Perfection”!) And we’re also meant to enjoy the ride… Watch Cars! =)

In the beginning, we have a new, shiny coat of paint that will reflect the sky and the ocean and trees and everything around us. And this is how we are as young Christians. We have little experience on the road of life and can brightly reflect God’s love.

A freshly waxed, clean coat of paint. Crisp and clear reflection!

But then, while driving along the road of life, we might encounter rain, snow, hail, sun, dust, dirt, rocks, thorns, bird droppings, etc. that cover/scratch/dull our paint.

A dirty, dusty unwashed coat of paint. Streaked and unclear reflection.

It’s a part of every day life and everyone goes through it. But the difference is maintenance.

Regular car washes and fresh coats of wax will protect a car’s paint and keep it looking new. Even though the car goes through trials and testing on the road of life, if maintained properly, will shine on till the end.

Likewise, perhaps our Christian lives are like that. When life throws curve balls and God feels distant… perhaps we drove off road and got mud all over ourselves. We can choose to stay covered in dirt and let the elements wreck our paint… or we can choose to hit the car wash, get refreshed, and shine on once again.

Of course, some things, a car wash and a coat of wax won’t fix. Sometimes, the bumps along the road will leave dings and dents and scratches that permanently mar the paint. Or fender benders with other cars may cause damage to both which requires major body work.

And again, the choice is always there. Sometimes it costs a lot to repair the damage done by careless driving. And likewise, damage done to our relationships with God and people may not come without a cost. We can choose to drive around with paint scratched off and the bumper wrecked, or we can choose to get up, pay the cost of repairs and emerge from the body shop like new (though not quite, as these experiences will tend to leave permanent marks).

We can choose to live in mediocrity… allowing the dust to build up and cover the luster of our paint… or seek the highest level of perfection by carefully maintaining our coat polished…

But in the end, the attainment of perfection will only come at the conclusion of the journey… when God completes what He began in me… and in that day, I hope I can say that through it all… I sought Him. That even when I went off road and damaged myself, I was able to steer myself back onto the narrow road, get washed and waxed, and continued to seek for that which is greater than all the treasures on this earth.