Not a hair out of place, makeup just right. An outfit to make you look thinner, taller, younger. Even Christians get caught up in the idea of attaining the perfect image, presenting the idea of perfection to the world rather than the view that they are being made perfect in Christ.
What the World Expects
When someone hears that you are a Christian, they automatically assume a view about who you are. They expect you to act “perfect” with no blemish on your record. They begin to watch you closely and to scrutinize everything about you. When you stand up for your beliefs or begin showing your faith through your works, they immediately become suspicious and look for hypocrisy.
See this attitude demonstrated in the recent news story of the Kentucky clerk who was jailed for her beliefs. Whether you agree with her stand or disagree, you can see how critics took the chance to uncover any faults she had. Comments were made about how her multiple marriages meant that she shouldn’t have a view on the sanctity of marriage since she obviously never took it seriously in her own life. While we may never know the truth behind the stories, we can easily see how the focus went beyond the issue at hand to condemning her based on her entire life.
How Christians Add to the Hypocrisy
Unfortunately, we are often guilty for adding to the illusion of Christianity being about perfection. We sit in church pews with our families, acting as if nothing is ever wrong. We let people think we have the perfect careers, homes and lives even if they are falling apart.
Our image of perfection extends to our ministries where we attempt to help others without being real. How much more we could reach those we minister to if we let them see beyond our attempts at perfection, let them see the scars, the stories that make us who we are today. Perhaps the woman who helps out at the battered women’s shelter was once abused herself. The woman ministering to prostitutes was a victim of child abuse.
We could follow the Apostle Paul’s attitude when he let those know who he thought he was by calling himself the chiefest of sinners. He admitted that he hadn’t attained perfection, but that he was working on it. How much further our ministries might reach and how many more people could be helped if we let them know that we recognize our lack of perfection. Instead of being perfect on our own, we are made perfect in Christ and His work in us.
