Perfect Love
…perfect love casts out fear… 1 John 4:7-21 Truly, who among us can perfectly love? Who among us walks without the occasion of some doubt? Who among us occasionally reconsiders decisions to be made or regrets decisions already fulfilled? As much as we strive towards this perfection it is not ours to perfectly attain. Try as we might there is always some wonder if we’ve done the right things or if we are moving in the right direction. How is the fear ever removed? If we could live with perfect love – would not the world be a perfect place? We have to settle for striving for perfection and recognize that we will make mistakes. When we make mistakes we must learn to forgive ourselves. Christ, the perfect love of the Father, understands this about us. Himself, called to the people of Israel, time and again stepped out of his own box to which he was called, to heal, bless and forgive those who brought their faith before him. So too we are called to love, knowing that what ever our dreams, desires, frustrations or fears, God’s perfect Love for his creation encourages us to continue striving towards him in spite of our imperfectness and because of our faith in him.
Image Credit: Kerry Shook; worshiphousemedia.com
crustybread 
Amen! We have to try and continue to grow in love and walk on in spite of our imperfections. We have to forgive ourselves and grow in love even when others we have wounded cannot or will not forgive us. There is a temptation to think that if we are not forgiven by others we should stop trying to improve, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Thank you again for your comment and reassurance as I continue to faithfully walk in God’s forgiveness and move forward in my life.
Most welcome. We all walk in the midst of a mighty battle. No one gets out without wounds. But our God is the Healer and the Balm in Gilead.