And God saw that it was good

Dear Friends in Christ,

One of my favorite messages in all of scripture is found in Genesis 1 where we read, “And God saw that it was good.”  I remember once I was in a Bible study, and we were talking about the extreme ages of people of those times, dying at 500 or 900 years of age.  A woman in that Bible study explained it with the understanding that God’s original creation was perfect.  So, in the early years people lived much longer.  I wasn’t convinced, but I didn’t say anything.  It doesn’t say in the scripture, “And God saw that it was perfect.”  It only says, “And God saw that it was good.” 

A few years ago, my father-in-law died.  That was a hard one for me.  I loved that man dearly.  The church, where he was member, was in an interim situation.  The interim pastor had an incessant stutter.  And he was very charming.  He was warm-hearted.  I had some good conversation with him.  His stuttering was part of what made him so likeable.  It made him approachable.  I couldn’t imagine anyone failing to like him.  And his stuttering persisted through his entire sermon.  His warmth persisted through his sermon.  Somehow, he managed to use his stuttering, a shortcoming, as a strength. 

Perfectionism can be a very good thing.  It can help us be our best.  It can also prevent us from acknowledging our goodness with most unfortunate consequences.  Think of people striving for a perfect body.  And the result is anorexia.  Sometimes the result of perfectionism is suicide. 

Jesus tells us that we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  I would challenge Jesus on that one.  Perfectionism is good so long as we practice it imperfectly. 

I remember being a member of a church in south Minneapolis.  The people there were extraordinarily gracious.  They had mastered all the social graces.  I would have enjoyed a little less mastery.  They were so perfect I was never comfortable with them.  I could have used some rough edges.  Yet, I still have fond memories of them. 

I wonder if our foreign policy wouldn’t be more effective if we were less perfectionist.  So often it seems that we are trying to fix one country or another.  You know the expression, “Make the world safe for democracy.”  Or even more perfectionist, “Make the world democratic.”  I wonder if we wouldn’t do better with trying to make the world safer for democracy.  I wonder if we wouldn’t do better to look the other way at some evils. 

I recently read an article called, “In-between.”  Debie Thomas described her life as an experience of being in-between.  It seems that, for her, life is never a matter of having arrived at some very fine state of affairs.  Rather, for her, life is a matter of continually seeking something preferable. 

I wonder what the kingdom will be like or is like.  Is the kingdom a matter of perfection?  Is the kingdom a condition of no sin?  I wonder if there isn’t sin in the kingdom.  I wonder if an important feature of the kingdom isn’t the ability to forgive.  I wonder if an important feature of the kingdom isn’t an ability to work around problems that don’t seem solvable. 

Life is a journey.  It is an experience of being in-between.  Enjoy the journey to the extent you are able, but don’t make a rule out of it.  Living as whole people also involves sadness and grief.  If we can support each other in our sadness and grief, perhaps there will be a thread of joy running through more of life, but not all of it.  If life is a journey, I wonder what the destination will be like.  Is there a destination?  Do we want a destination?  If we arrive at the destination, what will we do next? 

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Paul