A Short Essay on Perfection

'When Jesus comes, he's going to eat with me.' - from Deep Water by The Middle East

When I was young and full of fire, I thought that following Jesus was all about being perfect - that God's gift of freedom allowed us to be perfect in every way, and that grace was just there to help us along the journey. Over the years, I have continually failed to follow the path that I want to (and I'm sure there are many times I've failed others that I don't even know about), so I have learned to try and accept myself and appreciate God's grace, even though I don't understand it.

Jesus didn't come for the healthy, but for the sick. While I hate being sick, I know that knowledge of my flaws keeps me from the terrible evil of pride. The Psalmist says 'blessed is he whose iniquites do not count against him.' Australia is such a lucky country that it can be easy for us to forget that corruption has made the world a brutal place. What God has offered us is neither something we should just expect, nor something we can work out for ourselves.

I don't know what the world remade will be like, but I know that here, at least, my flaws allow me to learn about grace, wonder at the gift that others give me in being graceful, and appreciate the opportunities I have to be graceful to others. So, it is enough for me tonight to be able to look at the beautiful sky and know that when Jesus comes, he's going to eat with me. I hope you'll join us.