Perfectly Imperfect

Bill Brown 。。。 Xiamen University
"Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded..." Philippians 3:15 KJV 所以我们中间凡是完全人，总要存这样的心。腓利比书3:15

"If others succeed with 10 efforts, use 100; if they succeed with 100 efforts, use 1000. Thus even dull become smart, and the weak, strong." Confucius, "The Mean" 人一能之，已百之；人十能之，已千之。果能此道矣，虽愚必明，虽柔必强。

Paul's "as many as are perfect" phrase worried me during my youth because I knew that I was far from perfect (完全)! Fortunately, it is clear from the rest of Paul's writings that he that even he himself was not perfect, and in the following verse he said, "Only let us live up to what we have already attained. "然而我们到了什么地步，就当照着什么地步行。腓利比书3:16

Or consider the preceding two verses: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13,14

Paul did not just "forget" what was behind, but was continually "forgetting" what was behind. This was because every day he made mistakes, so every day he "died daily," put his past behind him, learned from it, and pressed on--like James, who wrote so eloquently of such weaknesses as our tongue...

James said that "no man can control the tongue" [3:8 惟独舌头没有人能制伏，雅各书3:8], and that a person who was faultless in speech was perfect. But of course we cannot be perfect even in our speech, which is why I can start every day with a heaping bowl of Daily Noodles and Good Intentions, and end up not just eating my Noodles but eating my words as well (which aren't always so sweet).

Daily I am faced by the consequences of my many imperfections--my thoughts, my words, my deeds (or lack of them), but this does not discourage me because 1) I at least know that I'm imperfect, and 2) the fact that I am now imperfect means I am a "work in progress." I won't be like this forever because I am growing, learning, and becoming. And that gives me hope and purpose, and so I don't wallow in my regrets or compare myself with others but press on trying to "live up to what I have already attained"--as little as it is!

Like Paul, I will forget what is behind and press forward--and if I seem to have a harder time than others in reaching the goal, I will remind myself of Confucius' wise words: "If others succeed with one effort, use one hundred efforts; if they succeed with one hundred efforts, use one thousand efforts. This way, even the dull will become intelligent, and the weak become strong." 人一能之，已百之；人十能之，已千之。果能此道矣，虽愚必明，虽柔必强。

We of course rely upon His strength, not our own--but it is a partnership. We, not God, are the ones forgetting what is behind and pressing forward. Just make sure we're pressing forward in His direction.

it also requires OUR effort and persistence. As Paul said, WE are the ones who forget that is behind and press forward.

Related Blog: "Why Lao-Tzu was Wrong about the 1000 Miles"
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