Perfect!

1 John 4:17
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don’t like what I see. I’m a little thick around the middle, there’s a little too much gray in my hair, and my biceps aren’t what I had hoped for in a bicep. Sometimes I don’t see a physical reflection of me in the mirror, but a mental reflection of who I have become in my mind’s eye. More appropriately, I see a perceived reflection of who I have become, not necessarily the true image.

I’m fairly certain that I am not the only person to have and have had these feelings. The world today is constantly bombarding our minds with society’s interpretation of who we should be or be like. There are pictures on magazine covers of chiseled male bodies being fallen upon by voluptuous, perfectly curved, “flawless” women. There are commercials on the television for medication to remove gray hair, stop balding, cure rough dry skin, and increase sexual stamina, all geared toward showing us how imperfect we are. Sometimes we can even see a commercial for an ailment or disease that we had no idea existed; now we worry we may have it! This opens us up to even more trouble and self-deprecation, worry and concern for who we are and what we have become.

All of these opinions of who we are do nothing for our lives or our health. When I look in the mirror and see a thick waist, I realize that I’m not in the shape that I want to be in. This makes me want to work out more at the gym. But, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I work, when I look in the mirror and analyze myself, I’m never good enough. This has been the problem since the fall in the Garden. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened. Suddenly they realized they were naked and desired to cover up their perceived flaws. They stopped seeing each other as God saw them.

Since then it’s been God’s desire to restore our “vision”, so to speak, and allow us to see each other, see ourselves, as He sees us. The only way to accomplish His mission was to cover our “nakedness” with His Son’s blood. You see, the nakedness that Adam and Eve saw in the garden was both physical and spiritual; that’s why today we need to receive Jesus both physically and spiritually. Adam and Eve ate the fruit and their eyes were opened to the physical and spiritual world all at once. (Genesis 3:7) When we partake of the Bread of Life there is a physical and spiritual restoration of our sight. (Luke 24:30-31)

This restoration allows us to boldly proclaim, “As He is, so are we in this world!” Our full restoration hasn’t been reserved for our eventual admittance into Heaven, but is here, now, in this world. Jesus is sitting, resting, completed, crowned in glory and honor at the right hand of the Father. He is perfect in every way, spotless and blameless, strong and fit. Just as He is in Heaven, so am I in this world today. The lies of Lucifer can’t hold up to scripture as uplifting as this. As He is, so am I in this world, TODAY!

God does not see my flaws, my imperfections, my anger, and my bitterness; He sees me perfectly restored to the image of Jesus Christ, just as He made man in the Garden. When He looks at me, at those of us professing faith in Christ, He sees only what is good, none of what is bad. (Jeremiah 31:34) Live into it, accept, rejoice in it: AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD!