The Temptation To Be Perfect...

I was sitting in a service the other day (outside of where I work), when the minister started the Lord's prayer and the congregation joined in. 

Someone behind me started with gusto. It was inspiring to hear their commitment to the prayer. The only problem was they were saying things in the wrong order. I immediately was drawn to the mistakes. It jarred me and thats what caught my ear. This person was doing it wrong. 

But then that jarring turned and something inside of me smiled. I was not smiling because this person had got it wrong but rather because there was a beauty in their prayer. It wasn't their mistakes that their prayer should be judged on but their heart. They were connecting. 

Often in the past I have got myself into a spin because I had not got something perfect. I had not preached as well as I should have or I had failed to say something when I should have . You probably will identify with if I asked you if you ever said something and it was the wrong thing at the wrong time?

Often we get caught up in the professionalism and not the intent. We need to get things perfect and make sure everything lines up. It's as if we think God will only understand us if we get it in the right order. It's as if this formula needs to be followed to get God's approval. 

Now I am not saying that we should not try our very best. What I am saying is that this is secondary. 

I think this moment made me realise what is important. Intend is 9/10ths of the law. If you don't have that, perfection accounts for nothing. I am slowly seeing the temptation to be perfect is a dangerous one because it asks me to put that before anything else.