Perfect

Those of you following the Olympics have been hearing this word quite a lot over the past several days. Whether it's applied to the winning routine of Canada's young ice dancers, or the impossible twisting aerial flip of the snow boarder. I've even applied it to the perfect placement of that granite rock into the curling rings!

Perfect! exclaims the expert commentator and the totally unknowledgable spectators cheer their agreement. It's right there for all to see, perfection.

And then we spend long minutes, hours, days talking about what made "it" perfect. Because it isn't a single thing It's the coming together of many things: natural ability, determination, practice, excellent coaching, dedicated support, incredible coincidences, stubborn determination, self-control, capacity for focus, mental, emotional as well as physical strength. So many things.

Then I ask myself, where in my life do I strive for perfection? What is it that I'm working towards with anything like the intensity and dedication that might yield a perfect score?

Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:48

I think it has much to do with setting goals. In what element of my life or work or relationships do I want to focus my energies? Because I really don't think I'll get there without that kind of start, the first step. Whether it's a perfect inside back death spiral, or an engaging scripture-based sermon or maybe even a genuine atmosphere of hospitality in my congregation, it all starts with deciding to do what it takes to get it right, not to give up just because I've crashed into the boards for the fortieth time.

One thing I learn from Olympic games is that perfect can look so, so different--a bull's eye, a slap shot or seven one hundredths of a second. Just depends what you set out to do. Where is your call to perfection?