The Pursuit of Perfection

What picture comes to mind when you think of the Garden of Eden?

I see a perfectly manicured grassy lawn surrounded by trees bowing under the load of juicy, ripe, fruit; a vegetable garden dotted with colorful tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash; and flower beds that swarm with honey bees and butterflies. I imagine waterfalls, streams, ponds, and rivers that all flow together. Wildlife is abundant, the birds are singing, and the only emotion you can feel is blissful happiness. However it looked thousands of years ago, we know God designed it as a place for His creation to live together in beautiful harmony and peace.

We are made in the image of God, who is perfect in every way possible. We were created for perfection, but sin destroyed the utopia that God designed. (And lest anyone point fingers, each one of us has sinned against God and we all deserve the punishment given to Adam and Eve.)

So now we find ourselves in a broken world, a world so opposite of God's perfect garden. We are constantly striving to create paradise here, in this shattered earth, but we are continually frustrated because it is impossible. Our sin introduced the limits of time, money, and relationships that prevent any permanent wonderland from existing.

People pour themselves into their careers, their families, or their possessions, but perfection is never realized. We hold on so tightly to the things of this world, hoping to prevent the inevitable. Careers never bring satisfaction, kids rebel, inflation rises, and government is corrupt.

It's depressing if that's the end of the story...

...but it’s not. It is possible to find perfection again, just not on this planet. If we are believers in Jesus, we know that after this life, there is an eternity of paradise waiting for us. We don't even know how wonderful it will be, but we get a glimpse from Revelation and other parts of the Bible.

God sent His only Son to earth to remedy the problem, and all we need to do is believe the Bible’s story of redemption and make Him the Lord, or boss, of our life.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10

The encouragement for me out of all of this is that I do not need to fear the inevitable consequences of living in a fallen world. There will be pain and suffering as long as we live on Planet Earth, but God is faithful to bring about what He has promised (1 Thessalonians 5:24), and He will hold my hand through the trials that I experience in this life (Isaiah 43:1-2). One day He will wipe away every tear from my eyes, and my striving for perfection will be over (Revelation 21:4).

The desire for beauty and bliss is woven into our DNA, and I think God wants us to pursue things like creativity, relationships, and hard work. But when things seem to never come together, we can take comfort that our longing for perfection will be satisfied one day, if we put our trust in the Author of Perfection.

“One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,

One day the skies with His glory will shine;

Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;

Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

“Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;

Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:

One day He's coming—O glorious day!”

-J. Wilbur Chapman