Thanks for stopping by! This is Day 14 of my 2015 “31 Days Reflecting on God” series. Find the rest over here.
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30
I’m a perfectionist…in some things. Cleaning my kitchen or quilting, not so much. But in seeking to live my life for God and serve him with my whole heart, yes. I want desperately to get everything right.
I was 21 years old before this reality even occurred to me: there isn’t always a right and wrong answer. Until then I divided everything up – and I mean everything from Christmas traditions to worship styles to movie genres to clothing – into “okay” and “not okay” piles. I spent so much emotional energy trying to decipher what was what and make everybody happy whether they agreed with me or not.
But God cannot fit in a box. He clearly lays rights and wrongs out in his word but those things define how we function best in his creation and in relationship with himself and others. When we choose our own way over his clear and simple instructions, we sin. But God leaves so much out of his word for specifics about what’s right and wrong.
As humans we like to have checklists of things we can cross off so we can feel good about ourselves and safe in our standing with God. But God doesn’t hand out checklists.
He says repeatedly in his word that he will lead us in the way we should go. That way for me may look very different from that way for you. Someone once pointed me to creation and said, “Look at all the beautiful varieties of birds and butterflies and flowers and think of how God loves those variations. Why would he want his human creations to look and act like they came out of a mold?”
Look at the perfection in creation, too. From crashing waves to gorgeous sunsets to tiny insects, it never ceases to take our breath away. God makes everything beautiful and perfect as he desires it.
God’s way is perfect. When we walk as he calls us to walk, both in the general commands he gives all people for life and godliness, as well as variations of life he may call us to that look different from each other sometimes, we can take part in that perfection.
And it’s not about working hard to scratch off a list, but walking with him daily, being sensitive to his Spirit leading our spirit and telling us which way we should go.