John
6:22-29 Believe in the One sent(Click here for reading)
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
To be a parent today is a thankless job. In most teen movies parents appear as imbeciles, while their children are busy saving the world from terrorists, dictators or even aliens. Children are cast as superheroes that stop wars, stop discrimination and stop misunderstandings. But the brutal truth casts children in a very different light. They are best known around the world as world class bullies of their peers and parents, and thereby encouraging world classroom and homegrown massacres.
A son recently accused his father of being a “perfectionist”. He asked him what he meant by that. He said, “Well, you want me to do everything perfectly. If I make a mistake you tell me to repeat it over and over again until I get it right.” I thought the father’s response was genial. He said to his son, “You’re right. I ask too much from you and from myself. After all, everything I do for you, I try to do perfectly. So from now on I will not ask so much from myself. When I drive you to school, I will drop you off one mile away. I won’t go all the way for you. I won’t go the extra mile. When it’s time to get a new car, I won’t pay all of it for you."
What must I do to get to Heaven? This is the billion dollar question. I must look for Christ, the one the Father sent, and believe in Him. Is this all? Yes. That's what happens when someone is perfect. That's what happens when God loves us. Does He not answer all of life’s questions? Does he not explain everything; that is, why we exist, why we think, why we love and why we live? The Lord has gone all the way for me. The Lord has paid the price for me. All I need to do is believe in Him and I will be made perfect, as my Father in Heaven is perfect.
A few years ago I spent an evening with a wonderful family at their lake house. As we ate an evening dinner outside in the cool breeze, I thought to myself, “Could anyone ever get sick and tired of this?” Before I could say anything, the gentleman of the house, who had worked for years to build it, said, “Father, do you like this place?” I said, “I love it.” He said, “Even after a while, you can get sick and tired of this place.” I was amazed, but not surprised. He was right. Eventually, after a while, you could get sick and tired of anything in this place (earth). Anything! But what brought him joy in this place was the fact that he could give it to his children and they could give it to their children.
What brings us to Him is that we were made like Him. By doing what he did, we bring people closer to us. By believing in the one the Father sent for you, for me, for all generations to come, we get closer to Home. Amen.
Perfectionism: Now there is a demon if ever I've encountered one, and I have encountered many.
ReplyDeletePerfectionism has caused me so much pain throughout my life and I still fight it. It robs me of peace, joy and contentment. It has been the cause of broken relationships. It has left me with a constant drive that does not allow me to rest and enjoy life. It has left me feeling like a failure. At times it has caused a loss of hope that I will ever get 'it' right.
I see it all around me. I see how so many people cannot accept anything less than perfect from themselves and others. And I see their pain and inability to let it go.
I guess I see it more in others now that I am aware of it and have started removing it from my life. I can see their lack of peace and how they constantly second guess themselves. How they drive themselves crazy trying to do 'it' by the book.
Perfectionism may look like a harmless little personality quirk, but I believe it is a major demon in the lives of many in our culture.
I hope to one day be delivered from this demon!
I was a perfectionist b/c I thought that if I didn’t make any mistakes, I would please God more. (I am not talking about sin.) I would do it right the first time, even if it killed me (or those around me). Then I had kids! I learned that God does not want me to be “perfect” in this way; He wants me to be perfect in Loving, as He is perfect in Love.… a much more difficult endeavor!
ReplyDeleteHow do I teach my child to be more like Christ? Discipline has its place, yes, of course. But in this day and age with all the subtle evil everywhere, I think God has given us parallel (if not greater) graces to parent well.
"After all, everything I do for you, I try to do perfectly. So from now on I will not ask so much from myself. When I drive you to school, I will drop you off one mile away. I won’t go all the way for you. When it’s time to get a new car, I won’t pay all of it for you. I won’t go the extra mile.”
(1) It is teaching, not preaching that will win over our children to Christ. It is having a relationship with them, loving them where they are, talking about why I won’t buy them a car and why they need to get a job. Tell them that this is the understanding that Christ gave me and I have to give it to you. You will have to make your own decisions and reap the benefits or pay the consequences. Our kids are really bright if we raise the bar and expect more from them, not talk down to them. We are either judging them or loving them and they know the difference! Remember the honey… ;)
(2) What did Mary do at the Wedding Feast of Cana? She instigated Jesus’ first miracle. She had such a strong relationship with Him that she knew what He needed… to go where He didn’t want to go. Jesus knew it would be the beginning of the end. It’s my favorite parenting parable! Parents have to have the discipline to bring their children where they don’t want to go, not by preaching, but like Mary to have such a strong relationship with her Son, so that He trusts her so much that He knows he can only follow in her footsteps. Both of them went the extra mile!
Anonymous 1 & 2 - Great insights! Thank-you for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteI've been a perfectionist all of my life. The worst was in my high school and college years. I was highly competitive and would beat myself up "internally" if I was out-smarted by someone else! Many tears shed, so much anger expressed, chronic sense of failure, so much internal chaos: I was always way too hard on myself. Thank the Lord I've matured. I've learned to let go of so many of my perfectionistic tendencies. It takes some life changing events such as the loss of a job, health problems, financial struggles, loss of loved ones, etc. to break out of the perfectionism. I'm beginning to realize as I become more selfless instead of selfish I don't feel the need to be perfect! I always relate vanity to perfectionism. So many times I want to be perfect so I look good in the eyes of others. I want their admiration and attention by demonstrating that I'm on top! Change my way of thinking here: Focus all of my attention and admiration on Jesus Christ! Believe in him. Love him. Get out of myself and become one with Him!
Blessings,
-Jennifer