November 12
Consistency vs. Perfection
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ––Hebrews 12:1-3
You know Aesop fable: the rabbit shoots out of the gate and gets a big lead on the tortoise, but then completely loses steam toward the end of the race. The tortoise, on the other hand, keeps a steady pace with juice enough in his tank to catch the hare at the finish line. It’s amazing that a 2,600-year-old Greek fable written by a former slave named Aesop is still so relevant today.
Consistency beats perfection every time. And to be clear, when I am talking about perfection here, I am talking about the proclivity of twentieth century men to strive, struggle, and aspire to be perfect in their career, faith, etc.
Jesus tells us to be perfect, just as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This is in reference to our need to completely surrender to His will so He can reshape us into His image. Aspiring to spiritual perfection through the leading of the Holy Spirit—in His power, not ours—is very different from the world’s definition of (fleshly) perfection.
The “perfect” Jesus is talking about is humanly unattainable and therefore wholly hinges upon our ability to emulate Him and surrender each day to the Father. Spiritual perfection, then, is achieved only as we decrease so He might increase, as John the Baptist said.
Here’s the connection: spiritual perfection is impossible without consistency. The tortoise had it right: we run the race to finish strong. As the great John Wooden used to say, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Pace is better than speed. We apply perseverance and self-discipline, but unless we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will fall into perfectionism. He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith—not us.
Man of God, how much of your race are you running in your own strength and power? The more you play the role of the hare, the faster you will burn out and lose hope. Yes, we apply effort and our own human gifts and strengths as we run the race, but we apply them in full understanding that those same gifts and strengths come from the Father.
Lord, help me pace myself in this race called life, and run in such a way to win the race and finish well.