Perfection

A few weeks ago I had to speak in church. I was given the topic of speaking on the Sermon on the Mount. This was a bit of a daunting task considering how packed full that sermon is.

I ended up speaking mainly about the idea of perfection. The last verse of the Mathew 5, after the Beattitudes and the verses about not hiding our light under a bushel and being a light set on a hill as well as a bunch of other topics, is the Scripture that reads "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This is something I struggle with so felt it was something to study and understand better. I am not a perfectionist but I do know how far from perfect I am. I have a lot I can work on and improve.

While I was preparing and reading about perfection I came across a great quote by Neil A Maxwell.

"Our perfect Father does not expect us to be perfect children yet. He had only one such Child. Meanwhile, therefore, sometimes with smudges on our cheeks, dirt on our hands, and shoes untied, stammeringly but smilingly we present God with a dandelion – as if it were an orchid or a rose! If for now that dandelion is the best we have to offer, He receives it, knowing what we may later place on the alter. It is good to remember how young we are spiritually”

I love this image of presenting a dandelion. I receive a lot of dandelions from my children. I love it when I hear Ian say “I picked this for you because I love you”. Our efforts may seem like dandelions but I know that through are our efforts we show Heavenly father how much we love him and he accepts my dandelions because he knows that they are what I am capable of giving him at that time, just like I accept my children's tokens of love from them.

So as the new year approaches and I review what went well in the past year and what needs improvement. And as I make resolutions to make changes I need to remember that perfection is a process and that it is only through Christ my dandelion efforts can be made into Orchids.

Happy New Year!