Reclaiming perfection
Be perfect.
Perfect.
PERFECT.
Does that word sting? It shouldn’t. But it does, probably. That’s unfortunate, because it’s an incredible word and idea. Perfection is worthy to behold and pursue, yet it’s a dirty word in most vocabularies. I want to take it back.
You should pursue perfection in anything you truly care about. Pursue being a perfect spouse, a perfect friend, a perfect artist, anything that holds eternal weight you should pursue perfection in, and not be satisfied with anything short.
What’s the point in doing something you care about if you’re not trying to attain the highest and greatest elevation of that thing? I’m not talking about your hobby - I’m talking about the thing that keeps you up at night, the thing that wakes you up in a sweat because you’re so excited and drawn in to it. Whats worth that stress or effort if there isn’t a masterful absolutely perfect representation of that thing at the end? Why climb a mountain if not to summit and see the views at the top?
You think a fighter is satisfied in losing his fights? What’s better: 39-0 or 38-1? You think the Toronto Maple Leafs are happy losing in the first round of the playoffs every year? They probably sit in the locker room after the game saying, “Hey at least we made it to the playoffs again.” You think Rembrandt was stoked being mediocre? I think not, otherwise he wouldn’t be the epitome of art and lighting these days.
Perfection is worth the hustle and trials. And NO! You’re right, you’re never going to be perfect! You’re absolutely right. But that doesn’t mean perfect doesn’t exist, and it also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t chase that mother down.
The problem is this - perfection is wielded as a threat rather than an invitation. People think falling short of perfection is the problem, but it isn’t. The problem is acting like it doesn’t exist so you can rest on your mediocre efforts. Everything on this side of eternity falls short; the fighter who is 39-0 still had a couple imperfect punches thrown, if the Leafs ever hoist the cup again (uhhhh, we’ll see lol) then they definitely had a few shifts in the run that were questionable, and even Rembrandt could get better (don’t ask me how, but someone way smarter and more artistic than me could tell him). What’s important is the effort.
Maximum effort.
I read something that soothed my soul yesterday, because I keep falling short of perfection. Long story short, the message was that “earning” effectively was the poison to effort. Because we put forth effort, we think we earn what we get at the end. It’s not like that, it won’t be like that. Anything given to us is a grace, even at the cost of us expending everything we have to get there. Without the poison of earning, we have zero opportunity to claim any pride in what we did leading us to fully recognize that we are just constantly enjoying and experiencing full grace at all times. Wow.
The invitation is there - put forth your maximum effort to be perfect, because God loves you and he’s perfect, and perfection is awesome. It’s to be enjoyed. It’s enjoy-able. Dang is “perfect” perfect, and it’s so amazing to see someone getting so close to it, it’s such a beauty to behold.
Pursue it with all your might. Enjoy other things that get as close to it as possible, they’re worthy of your enjoying.
Be perfect.