From Cruel Folly to Imperfect Acceptance
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making all things new.””
Striving for the perfect future is a cruel folly. But unfortunately, the control freak in almost all of us makes us believe we can master this world. We twist ourselves into emotional knots attempting to create our garden of Eden. Then, when we fail to experience Eden’s perfection, we build layers of psychological cynicism and even despair.
Newsflash: This isn’t the garden of Eden, and even Jesus couldn’t recreate perfection in this life. So, what gives us the idea that we can sculpt the perfect life for ourselves and our family? In his article “Searching For An Ideal Future,” Dan Pedersen claims, “We are problem-solvers.” Yet, divine wisdom includes knowing what problems to address, how to manage them, and which issues remain beyond our grasp.
Pedersen presents, “We’re searching for heaven. We’re trying to find it or create it on earth. We’ll experience moments of it, but it’s not everlasting in this life.” Sometimes, the most significant moments of passing bliss are cruel. Bliss can fool us into believing perfect joy is possible on this earth. Pedersen believes, “Our circumstances can be improved. Our attitude and perception can be improved too. But none of us will ever have everything figured out or reach a state of permanent bliss in our lifetime.” Learning to accept ours and the world’s imperfection is a necessary spiritual task.
Think about your desires and how you choose to be seen in this world today. Do you remain under the delusion that you can create perfection? I am sure everyone would say “no” to the previous question, but your actions and mine betray our conscious and subconscious desire for the perfect life. Prayerfully ask God to give you the acceptance to face this world and your life with realistic clarity. Then, when you start feeling understandably cynical or bitter, fall on your knees and ask God to bless you with the humility to accept life while trying to improve it. Finally, trust God to one day “make all things new.”
