“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Sports are not a large part of my life. There were a few years in my adolescence where I watched a lot of baseball with my mother and grandfather, but other than that, sports have been nothing but an excuse for a social gathering. 

The exception to this rule is the Olympics. Every two years I commandeer the television and watch athletic competitions I would never consider viewing at any other time of year. I don’t just watch the prime time recaps either. Full game direct feeds and replays roll across my screen during just about every waking hour. 

I’ve even watched golf. 

There’s something about a moment in time, the culmination of four years of preparation, that one shot at striving for perfection that just gets me. 

Part of the appeal is that, as heartbreaking as it is to watch someone falter and lose their dream, there’s something incredible about knowing a lifetime of achievement can be attained by a single moment of perfection. No matter what else that person does in their life, they will always be an Olympic champion.

The Trap of Perfection

Real life isn’t like that for most of us. It isn’t even like that for Olympians. In real life it can feel like every day, every moment, every challenge is that life-altering opportunity. We put stress on ourselves to have a perfectly productive day, a perfectly clean house, or a perfectly behaved child. We think we have to craft the perfect marriage, the perfect body, and the perfect career. Often we expect all of those and more to be accomplished at the same time. 

At least, I get caught in that trap. 

The truth is, though, that we can’t be perfect. We can have a good moment, a blissful day, or even an astounding week, but there will still be flaws. And that next moment or day or week? Chances are, it isn’t going to measure up. 

The Olympic Games is riddled with stories of underdogs who had an amazing day and overcame the world champion or expected favorite. The very fact that those overcomers weren’t expected to win, though, means they didn’t have a string of perfect days leading up to that victory. 

True Perfection

Only God is consistently perfect, yet there are so many times we think He gets it wrong. We doubt the opportunities provided for us, the callings given to us, or the blessings seemingly bestowed upon others. Or we get it into our heads that to be like God, to be good Christians, we have to look a certain way, act a certain way, and make sure everyone around us does the same. 

Maybe that’s because we’ve forgotten what perfection actually looks like. 

In Matthew 5, when Jesus commands us to be perfect just as God is perfect, He isn’t referring to behaviors or appearances or morals. Those things are important, but the section just before this verse is all about loving people. Pray for those who persecute you. Care for those who can do nothing for you. Welcome those you have nothing in common with. Go back even more verses and respecting yourself is included in the mix. 

What if perfection doesn’t look like we thought? If it isn’t what we were expecting it to be? What if it’s the consistent attempt to care about people so that every now and then, in a random moment, we can step up and love the world in the way that can only point them to Jesus? 

We can’t be perfect. Jesus knew that when He told us to try. But we can adjust our goal, shift our target, and make sure we’re aiming at the right prize. 

Correct Training

The best runner in the world would lose the 100m Butterfly. The fastest cyclist at the Games isn’t coming home with a gold medal in archery. The best all around artistic gymnast wouldn’t make the medal round competing with ribbons and clubs in rhythmic gymnastics. 

If we want any hope of achieving the perfection God calls us to, we need to be training in the correct sport. That isn’t calling out others in judgment or putting up our own facade. It’s loving the people God brings into our lives. 

Sometimes we won’t be great at it. But if we keep practicing, there will be moments where we get it right, moments of near perfection, moments in which we have the privilege of being God’s hands and feet. 

And those moments will be better than any podium ever attained.