Perfection

More and more I realize that we place way too much emphasis on being perfect. We look at our sins and weaknesses as terrible plagues that we have to overcome before we can even commune with God or partake of His goodness. This idea directly contradicts the scriptures. In Ether 12:27 we learn that God gave man his weakness. Why did he give them to us? So he could show his power in making them strengths. Our weaknesses and tendencies toward sin are not Satanic inventions, but rather "Gifts" from God. We are supposed to have them and supposed to deal with them because he gave them to us.

Our weaknesses can be one of the greatest assets we have in drawing near to God. They teach us to be humble and to depend upon the Lord for strength. We still learn the consequences of doing that which is against God's will. This is where, just like Adam and Eve, we learn the difference between good and evil by our own experience. God does not shield us from the consequence of our sins because we would not learn from them. However, he is there to help us overcome them and to learn from them.

One of the most damaging ideas is that we cannot come to God in our weaknesses. When the scriptures state that man cannot be saved in our sins, they are correct. However, many people miss the point of how we are to overcome those sins. It is through the atonement that those sins are expunged through the grace of Jesus Christ. Though we still have weaknesses and problems, we can still be saved through Christ. His perfection can compensate for our own. All he asks is a "broken heart and contrite spirit." Or simply that we recognize our weaknesses and sins and seek his guidance in overcoming them. Once you realize that he does not expect you to overcome your sins on your own and then come to him but rather come as you are, then you find the true Joy in the Gospel.

I think the absolute most damaging part of the selfish quest for perfection first is that it detracts from our real purpose here. We are here to become more Christ like and to learn and acquire the attributes that Christ displays. We are here to do his work. When we become overly obsessed with our own perfection, we start to focus on ourselves instead of others. The greatest commandment is to love God, but the second is not to be perfect. It is to love our neighbor. If we would focus more on serving those around us and learn to accept that Christ will have you as you are, we would find ourselves being more Christ like and our desire to do evil would diminish. Before we know it, our weaknesses would be strengths.