Like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. The connection. The "Aim for perfection" (2 Corinthians 13:11). God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Christ is perfect (Hebrews 5:8-9). You and I - we're not perfect. The greatest characters of the Bible, listed in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, are not perfect. We are made perfect as a body. As the body. The body of Christ. Our perfection is found in Christ.
Like Paul, "if I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness...so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say." God's power is made perfect in our weakness. Therefore we should boast all the more gladly about our weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on us. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 11, 12)
We cannot attain perfection on our own. We must seek a relationship with God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. We must rejoice in our faults since they make such a relationship compelling. We attain perfection with Him, by Him, through Him.
And when I'm trapped behind a slow-poke in the fast lane, I will offer up a prayer for them. I will celebrate my impatience by offering up a prayer for myself. Lord, help me to be patient. Help me to love this brother/sister in front of me enough to let them have their space, their tempo, their imperfect use of the left lane.
Praise God!
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