Perfection in the Progression

I wrote in a journal entry last year, “I’m moving forward but I’m still just where I am right now.” I wanted to be further down the path towards wholeness and healing, but I found myself in the familiar, yet frustrating place of feeling dissatisfied with my progress. “Maybe tomorrow it will feel better.” “Maybe in a month I won’t be crying so much.” “Maybe next year I’ll have it all together.”

Although it didn’t feel like it then, when I wrote that sentence in my journal I was exactly where I needed to be in that moment: on the road towards healing. I was still broken, depressed and betrayed, but I was perfectly positioned on the trajectory towards a Reclaimed life – the unknown destination God was preparing for me.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives this command to his listeners, “Therefore, be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) In this verse, “perfect” is translated from the Greek word teleios which could also be translated as “complete,” “whole and holy” or “mature.”

The day I wrote that journal entry, I felt so far from teleios, and the thought of reaching teleios or perfection seemed, at times, impossible. However, according to 2 Peter 1:3, we already have the ability to live perfectly in all our moments, regardless of where we are in our journey. The verse reads, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” Even in brokenness, depression, and disappointment, you have everything you need for a perfect godly life right now.

I wish I could say I have unwavering faith to believe this revelation at all times, but I don’t. Even when I have veered from the path God has set for me, through my repentance, he has faithfully repositioned me back on the road to Reclamation. There will always be setbacks, but the course is set and I have made the God of the universe my pilot. This doesn’t mean that everything that has happened to me was God’s plan or that it was perfect in and of itself. God works it together for perfection in my life.

As a goal-oriented person, vision casting for future perfection is key. But I also must remember that the perfect position for me is where I am right now. As long as I’m shooting for Him, I’m exactly where I need to be. With this perspective, each day there is a new perfect that will arise to meet my challenges. But with the destination in mind, today’s perfect will only get perfect-er tomorrow.

Through God’s divine power, we can access the perfection he has for us where we are. This single moment in time may not feel complete or whole but it’s perfect in the trajectory towards Reclamation.