“People who are perfect are found only in Heaven.” (Saint Josemaria).
The number one inhibitor of success – in my opinion – is not the inability to do something, but the unwillingness to get started.
So many times in my life have I seen wasted potential because a person has thought to themselves that they should not start an activity because they are not very good at doing the thing anyway and therefore should not try because they will inevitably fail. Alternatively, people think to themselves that they should not start a task because they do not know how to end it.
And I have been thinking today that this desire for perfection is perhaps the Evil One’s most powerful and deadly weapon in the hunt for souls…
You see, though I may not be able to see the end of the activity, by simply making a start on it, I can work through each of the hurdles and obstacles until I am able to get close enough to the end of the project to see it in a different light or to consider it differently. Additionally, when I fail to simply get started I am simply failing to make a move that could lead to my greater knowledge and understanding of the topic, which will help me to become more clear on how to approach the task so that I can achieve a strong result…
Saint Josemaria said, “People who are perfect are found only in Heaven.” And I have been reflecting on that.
That ongoing striving for perfection – which is unattainable on this Earth and during this lifetime – is the one true barrier to entry to Heaven. You see, if I try to make myself perfect it means that I am trying to BE GOD. It is perhaps the biggest sacrilege possible to believe that I am capable of any goodness in and of my own efforts, and knowing that I am trying to hold off achieving a task or activity means that I am able to hold off goodness because I am unable to commit to perfection, which is beyond my human capacity.
And today it occurs to me that God is not asking me for perfection. He is asking me for an effort. He is asking me to make a go of it and to try and to start. He is not asking me to see the end of the destination, instead, He is asking me to trust in Him that He is able to fill the gaps where I am imperfect and that he is able to lead me to the solutions that I cannot see right now. And that He is able to look after me even when I cannot look after myself.
And it occurs to me today that I have wasted a lifetime striving for perfection, when all my Belvoed really wants is for me to make a start and have a go…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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