Every Christian will tell you that they aren't perfect, but some people love to act like they are. They sit on the church pew and sing every word to every song, will speak to you like you're besties at the Mexican restaurant after church, and are in the church every time the doors open. Some of these people are genuinely good people seeking to further God's kingdom, but some people can push long time Christians and potential Christians away with their actions.

I am not perfect, and neither are you.

I know, it may come to a surprise to some people... I may be stepping on a few toes. Sorry. But the closest thing to the perfect christian isn't someone who walks around and acts like the best thing since sliced bread, but the person who knows they need Jesus. I am so so far from perfect, and I know I am. I mess up all the time. But guess what? God loves us despite our imperfections. You, me, my mom, my dad, even the cashier at the grocery store- no matter what. Even responsible people commit sins, and that is part of being responsible sometimes (at least in my mind). Some Christians think they're near perfect because they go to church every week, spend time with the Lord, and may even implement some random acts of kindness. I agree with that. However, it is those same people who always have something to say about what Kristina wore to church that day, or what Brad did on Saturday night. It's comments like those that push potential Christians away. A christian who is only active in the church once a month but treats people with sincere kindness is the person I would rather have in my life.

God wants to make us one with Himself.

I honestly believe that God wants us to strive for perfection, but knows we will fall short of His expectations. He wants us to be like Jesus was, but Jesus was made perfect through his suffering on the cross that night. That was the night the true meaning of the word "perfection" was achieved. Sometimes things go wrong in our lives and we question why the Creator of all things good would allow something bad to happen to us. If we strive to be just like Him, why punish us? I recently had a thought that made perfect sense. If God allowed his own PERFECT son to be bruised and beaten, why not bruise us a little bit? It isn't like we don't deserve it. Bad things do happen to good people, because it is God's will for that to happen.

Christian perfection does not equal human perfection.

Christian perfection can be the perfection of a relationship with God that stays true all the time- even through the unimportant parts of human life. Sometimes I feel like everyone in my life has a perfectly consistent life. Meanwhile, I am over here trying to figure out what God wants me to do with my life, and everything just seems to be so inconstant and pointless. But I know that through my own human perfections, I will never be able to meet the standards that God has for me- so I have to trust His will. We are called to be in a perfect relationship with God so that we can point others to Jesus, and so we want to point others to Jesus because our relationship is THAT awesome. God uses imperfect people every day to impact people's lives.

God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. And I am going to let Him do what He wants.