Purpose, Not Perfection

“I haven’t called you to perfection, but I have called you to purpose.” That’s what God said to me in one of my recent ‘chit chats with Christ’. In a way, it was funny because it’s one of those things that I knew….yet felt like I’d just learned all because of how & when He said it (He does that so often with me lol)….

I grew up in church, and I remember being literally terrified of this God that they talked about every Sunday. I mean, apparently, He was pretty cool, & could do a lot, but He sounded so….scary. I learned very quickly that this is not the one to upset. You get on His good side, and YOU STAY THERE, because if you didn’t…you were done. That’s it. You just got added to the hot (literally) guest list….of Hell. He’ll forgive you, but don’t push it! He’s slow to anger, but you don’t want to wait that long! That…that is an incredibly scary….and FALSE view of God. Luckily, I grew up & grew into some sense (because I started following Him instead of solely fearing Him). 

     So many times, I hear people describe God in really....dramatic...and extreme ways. He's either the worst beast/master you've ever seen, or the sweetest lamb that only wants to caress you to sleep. I’ve learned that our view of God impacts our view of ourselves. So, if you view God as a know it all that thrives off of your mistakes, you probably tend to view yourself as a screwup, or somebody who can never seem to get it right. If you believe that you have to look, act, or sound like “church folks” in order to be used by or effective for God, you probably believe that you have to “get right” before you come to Christ for real (because…why would God want somebody…ordinary). I’m here to help free you from that today, because as I said before, God has called us to purpose; not perfection.

    In the event that you are unaware of this general fact, you (yes, YOU, sweet suga) have a purpose. You’re alive because you have a purpose. You’re reading this post because you have a purpose. You were created intentionally (even my fellow surprise babies). God created you with intention. He created you & He’s graced you to do something specific. There’s something that only you can do the way that you can do it. Others may try; others may already be doing it, but nobody can fulfill your purpose like you can. Furthermore, your purpose doesn’t require your perfection. God knew who He was calling when He called you; He knew what and who He was creating when He created you…and yet…He still called. Nobody that you see fulfilling their purpose is perfect. I really hate to break this to you, but your pastor isn’t perfect. Your favorite singer? Nope - not perfect. The beloved church mother with the 5 star hats every Sunday? Nope - she’s not perfect either. Oooh! What about the person who wrote this post?! Not…in…the…slightest…of…senses. 

     I think that so often, we focus on perfection more than we do our purpose. We figure that if we could just…get it right, then we’d be fit for God. Then, once we’re all clean, and happy, and Jesus..ish, He will take us into His massive arm & show us off to the world. I’ve learned that the truth is that He wants to show you off to the world right now because His glory is in your imperfection. Often, the issue doesn’t lie in His disapproval of whatever it is that you’ve done; it’s in the fact that you don’t see yourself as capable, because you’ve created the (ridiculous) standard of perfection. That standard isn’t helpful. In fact, I’d bet that it’s holding you back & keeping you from the greatness that God has for you. Let’s try something different, k? (myself included) Let’s focus less on how imperfect we can be, and more on how fit we are for His purpose. 

     I have found that the more I pursued purpose, the better I got at this whole Christian thing. Why? Because purpose gave me responsibility. It consistently reminded me that my actions had a wider impact than my little life. So, this week, I want you to focus more on purpose than you do perfection. I want you to press towards whatever mark God has placed before you. I want you to focus on being the best parent, spouse, child, student, etc. that you can be (because there’s purpose in that too). You probably won’t do everything right. You probably won’t be as good at this on the first try as you may hope, but God never called you to perfection while you were here on Earth. He’s called you to greatness. He’s called you to change lives. He’s called you to be effective, transparent, and fruitful. He’s called you to purpose on purpose. So….let’s get to work!

Background music: I Am - Kirk Franklin 

Calm in the storm (previous case)