Our story starts in the perfection of Eden. And it ends with the perfect restoration of all good things. Of course, it’s then only natural to desire a taste of this perfection now. But we only fuel our heartaches and disappointments when we expect and demand utopia in a fallen world.

Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with wanting things to be better. And part of living by faith is to continually do our part to move our life and relationships toward God’s best.

But in this life we must also humbly remember that we remain on the way.

This is not to give up our efforts to make things better. But it does remind us not to assume we can reach perfection if we just try hard enough.

In fact, this illusion of perfection often robs us of the goodness and beauty available. And we’re more likely to grow bitter and resentful when life doesn’t play out in the perfect ways we imagine – blaming others for denying us the perfection we believe is possible.

For instance, we might blame others for holding out on us when we don’t have the job or income we desire. But life is not always fair. And demanding perfect fairness at every turn only denies us of the freedom to focus on the choices we can make to move our life toward better.

Likewise, it’s easy to assume our wedding day begins the perfect happily ever after of our marriage. And when it fails to meet our lofty expectations we tend to then blame our wife, our in-laws, or simply conclude we made the wrong choice. And beneath our frustrations is this expectation of perfection.

This plays out in our communities and politics as well. It’s tempting to believe the next election or law passed will usher in the utopian society we desire. And we can become outright cruel and malicious when the results don’t turn out as we would’ve like. It’s our demand for perfection that makes us resentful toward anyone who seems to get in our way.

Wisdom reminds us to humbly accept the many imperfections of our fallen world. This is not to give up our efforts of making things better, but to set realistic expectations on our journey forward.

We become blind to the opportunities available when all we can see is our unmet desires for perfection.

By all means, fight to make things better every chance you get. And remember we’re still on the way toward the perfect restoration of all good things. Don’t miss the beauty and life available in your demands for perfection today.

Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash

Dr. Corey Carlisle

Dr. Corey Carlisle

Licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist - providing Christian counseling and soul care to individuals and couples, with a special emphasis on developing the masculine soul. Suwanee, GA 30024

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