Working On Perfection

15 Mar

“Realising your potentials and spirituality begins with seeing yourself as imperfect with the intent of working towards perfection.”  ~ Victor Vote

None of us are complete.  None of us are polished.  None of us have no more need for improvement.  No, we are all “works in progress.”  The sooner that we realize that and, even more, accept that reality, the sooner we can get on with the work that is ahead of us.

Lent is about improvement.  It is about drawing nearer to God.  It is about rejecting the things of the world that cause us to sin.  It is about working on perfection.  Not that any of us will get there — at least not in this life.  However, one day we will be perfected in heaven.  That day will be glorious.  Until that day, we work.

Work.  If that’s not a “four letter word,” I don’t know what is.  For many people, work is something to be avoided.  It means toil and sacrifice.  It means setting aside idleness and pleasure.  However, work is a basic necessity for all of us both in this world and for the world to come.  We must work physically and mentally in order to make something of ourselves.  We must also work spiritually in order to be ready to enter the Kingdom that awaits us.

Maybe that’s why Lent is considered a four letter word by many.  Lent implies work.  It implies sacrifice.  When we are challenged to improve and/or to give up the things that cause us to sin, we can become anxious at best and argumentative at worst.  It is difficult to hold on to sin when we are challenged to let go of it in favor of something that is much better for us.

Why is it that sin has become so comforting for us?  Is it because it fits our baser human nature?  Is it because it encourages us to engage in things that are risky to our souls?  What causes us to reach for sin?  I think it is because it is predictable.  We know what we are going to get when we embrace it.  Even though it might not be good for us in the long term, it provides immediate gratification.  That is something our human nature tends toward.

Don’t look for the short term that can give us what we want right now but cannot give us what we need in the long run.  Instead, look for that which makes us more holy and more able to recognize the invitations of God rather than of the world.  Look for the path to perfection.  Work on perfection.  Know that one day we will be perfected in heaven.

FAITH ACTION:  Focus on one imperfection in your life today and work on improving so as to become a little more like the Lord.