Practice Makes Perfect?
Practice Makes Perfect?
I use to believe this. I use to say this to my kids. But now I know self-obtained “perfect” is overrated and no matter how much you practice, perfect cannot be made. Practice does not make perfect, it makes neurotic, it makes rigid; it makes those who cannot attain it feel, well, less than perfect, much less. Perfect cannot be obtained in the flesh.
Have you met a perfect person? I haven’t. Have you ever tried to be perfect at something? I have. Could you do it? I couldn’t. I have met lots of people who try to be perfect; sometimes one is looking back at me in the mirror when I brush my teeth in the morning.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to do our best. I’m just saying we can’t be perfect…not completely, not on our own. God says in the Bible –
“Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
So what does that mean? When we become a Christian, do we push a button and now we are perfect? If that were true then why do I see so many Christians struggling with life…with sin, with obedience, and why do I?
This morning I prayed that God would help me walk in the Spirit so I wouldn’t fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16) – especially annoyance and irritability (I live with lots of messy men). Then I stepped back into my house and walked right into the path of annoyance, and I fell for its tricks. BUT then I realized something (dah). God didn’t give me a button to push but He did give me something. He gave me an opportunity to choose to not be annoyed – practice if you will. And when I chose to not be annoyed the Spirt helped me with the fruit of self-control. He is called the “helper” not the doer.
It is true that God is perfecting us, and in a way His practice does make perfect, but alone ours never will. Every time we say yes to Him. Every time we obey. Every time we say no to sin, the Holy Spirit helps us. He puts power in our “NO” – transforming power that brings with it His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
He doesn’t always take away the thing we struggle with. Instead, much of the time, He leaves it right where it is, so we will get plenty of practice saying NO to it and YES to obeying Him. God doesn’t give us victory apart from obedience. If we are His, we can be sure He is perfecting us, and His practice for us is the only practice that will ever make us perfect.
How about you? Are you getting plenty of practice?
So true, we will never archive the perfect state; only One was perfect! But we can do the right things, and sometimes we will not. Glad that we serve a God of second changes and have His Spirit within us.
Thank you for this Charlotte. I have heard it said that to try to be perfect is the worst form of self-abuse. It turns people into all the things you mentioned, neurotic, rigid, etc. I’ve been down that road too many times myself. Only in choosing to yield to the Holy Spirit do we become more like the Christ; his will, not mine. I praise Him that one day when we are in glory, the struggle will be over! It is a wonder that when God looks at us now, He sees us through the lens of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. God sees us as perfect, though practically we are still sinners. (2 Cor. 5:21). Amazing grace!