Raise your hand if you are perfect!
Are you jumping out of your seat, eagerly waving your hand in the air? Or are you keeping it down, shamefully buried in your lap? Or maybe you are a little confused and not really sure what to do.
No matter how you feel, you should know that wanting to be perfect and never getting there is totally normal. Actually, God already knows that you aren’t perfect, and you do not need to feel ashamed when you fail.
The Bible says that the only perfect person who will ever live is Jesus. It also says that if you love Jesus you should want to be like Him.
That is a little confusing, right? How can you be like Jesus when He is perfect…and you’re not? Here is what you need to know: Being perfect is Jesus’s job. Your job is to love Him and to love others the way He would want you to! Jesus wants you to be like Him, but He also knows that you cannot do that without His help and His love. When you trust Jesus and let His love come inside of you, He will help you be the best that you can be!
The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength [and] love your neighbor as yourself ” (Mark 12:30-31).
This means that there is no need to stress about getting perfect grades, having perfect hair, or being a perfect friend. It’s impossible! It does not mean that you shouldn’t try your best. But your biggest job is to focus on how you can love God more in your heart and show that love through how you treat other people. His love takes care of everything else.
Loving God with your whole heart is what makes you want to be like Jesus…just how God wants you! Can you think of a way that you can love Jesus more today? Is there something you can do or someone you can help to show God your love for Him today?
Dear God, thank You for Your love and reminding me today that even though I can’t be perfect, You love me perfectly. Help me to love You with all of me! Help me to love others like You love them. In Jesus’s name, amen.