Perfection! Not!

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2021 Blog Number 13

March 29, 2021

Perfection! Not!

What is your credit rating? Is it good? Is it great? A gentleman I knew in New York State told me once that he thought credit checks should be made on all ministerial candidates. According to him, a credit score was the best indicator of emotional and spiritual health. Since he told me this, I have been striving to maintain a good credit score. I’ve done well but never was able to reach 850, the top score. No matter how I try I can’t get to that number. This month my score topped out at 849. So close but not perfect. I was a bit annoyed that I hadn’t quite reached my goal.

This quest reminds me of other aspects of my life as well. I was a B and C student, unlike my sister who received all A’s. I asked why I should strive so hard for A’s if I never got them. A mentor told me that the only way we do the best we can is to strive for something even higher. It is striving for A’s that got me B’s. Can you imagine how low my grades would be if I wasn’t trying for A’s?

One of the things I struggle with in our modern media is that there seems to be few attempts at showing people at their best. Through our language and coarse behavior, we seem to be striving for the lowest common denominator. Do we as individuals strive to be our best or are we settling for bad behavior and manners instead of trying to elevate ourselves to something better?

Holy Week has now begun and Lent is ending. Every season, but especially in Lent, Christians strive to become more Christ-like. We never get there, so why should we strive? We are  not that great a Christian now but could you imagine how bad we would be if we wasn’t trying so hard? Striving to be better people isn’t a bad thing. Is it?

No, I will never reach perfection but that doesn’t mean that I will stop trying. It is the striving for better that makes us as good as we are. Are you striving to be more Christ-like? How can you improve if you do not try? Let us all work to help one another imitate Christ more. We won’t be perfect but we shall certainly be better people for this quest.

#ClintonAvenueReformedChurch                         #ReformedChurchInAmerica                    

#PastorMarkAuthordotcom                                    #BergenfieldNJ

#BergenCountyNJ                                                   #Christ-like

#Lent                                                                          #HolyWeek

#Perfection                                                                #Self-improvement

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order a copy of his book: https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/