Perfection Desired...Not Yet Attained

I was pondering today how perfect I am. (Why are you laughing?)

OK. Well I was a perfect child/teenager. (Ask my siblings. They hated me for my perfection. Well I could at least act perfect most of the time.)
(The loud burst of laughter that just exploded from your mouth is totally unacceptable for a post with this level of seriousness!) ***raising my eyebrow at you***

Alright, alright! This blog was intended for honest reflection, so here it goes. I have been perfect a few times in my life. I was sleeping.

ALRIGHT!! The truth is that I was banging my head against the wall in despair over the fact that I am getting as old as I am and am still not nearly where I want to be! The really scary part is that I am starting to see my sinful nature reflected in my son. He is already displaying my tendency towards selfishness in a terribly scary manner. (No, I am not coming out of the bathroom just because you have a piece of fuzz stuck between your toes! ((He has a few strange compulsions. He gets that from his dad.)) )

I continue to ponder the fact that deep in my heart I truly do desire perfection, it just always seems to elude me. As a Christian I have the perfect example to attain to in the person of Jesus Christ. I am constantly amazed at His grace and the way He loves me and my heart's desire is to reflect that love to others. Only one thing stands in my way: sin nature.

There is currently a saucepan sitting in my sink with a horrible scorch stain gracing the bottom of it. I have tried multiple ways to remove that stain. I soaked it in dish soap and water, but it still wouldn't come off. I tried to cover it up (out of sight, out of mind) but it was still there when I needed the pan. I tried to scrub it off with my dishcloth, but it just wasn't strong enough to remove the stain. I even in desperation had the brief thought cross my mind to use the pan as is, but I am a little too particular about cleanliness for that! This stain has plagued me for days!! I have finally realized that without the right tool, this stain is never coming off. I need an SOS pad. Disappointingly, I don't have one. I have a multiple choice decision here. I can:

A. give up in complete despair.

B. continue to fruitlessly attempt to get rid of the stain under my own power and waste hours of my life in complete futility only to find that in the end, it will still be stained.

or

C. I can find the only tool that will ever remove the stain and work to get rid of it using that tool.

That tool for my pan is an SOS pad. That tool for my sin is the blood and continual purification of Jesus Christ. For the sake of continuity lets call it

S anctification
O nly by
S acrifice.

(You didn't know I could be that clever did you? :))

The awesomeness of Christ's sacrifice never ceases to amaze me. As a stained pan, I was never going to be worthy for His use on my own. Out of His love and desire for me, He provided a tool that would rid me of my stain. However,I do still have responsibilities. I still have to constantly purify myself through the "washing of the water of the Word" and keep myself clean by constantly choosing to turn my back on sin and actively "walk in the Spirit".

Alas, in spite of my childhood delusions of perfection (I really was close), through my own efforts I will never grow beyond my sinful tendencies. Now though I can constantly strive for it through the way He has made for me. I frequently wonder how he can love a stained pot such as I. That love is what gives me the desire to submit to my scrubbing so that I can be a shiny pot that is not only useful to my Master, but that can reflect His beauty-and maybe someday reach perfection. :)