Perfection

“I want to become a saint; it will not be easy at all. I have a lot of wood to chop, and it is as hard as stone. I should have started sooner, while it was not so difficult; but, in any case, better late than never.” (Saint Zelie Martin, the mother of Saint Therese of Lisieux).

Saint Zelie Martin (Photo)

The other day I was thinking about this writing that I do.  After all, I write and write and write, and all I know is that I can try to do my best – but generally, I fail more than I succeed.

I have always been the sort of person who gets stuck into things.  I have generally not allowed myself to feel that I am held back or being held back because I have not got a perfect solution.  I have generally not waited for perfection in order to make a decision on how to proceed with something.  Instead, I have sort of got into the task and done the best with what I had and hoped that the rest would get figured out in the “wash” so to speak.

Now, it is one area that can sometimes get to me.  After all there is a temptation to hold out until things are perfect before sharing them.  And this is great in theory – because it means that I never have an opportunity to make mistakes or get it wrong or hack away clumsily at things.  But the concern is that when I approach things in this way I am unable to actually get to the bottom of anything. 

You see, I am weak and lazy and sinful.  And what that really means is that I am ALWAYS going to be a hypocrite and I am always going to get things just a little bit wrong.  And the only thing that I can possibly do is to just push on and try my best!

And I have been thinking about that today as I have been getting to work.

Saint Zelie Martin, the mother of Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “I want to become a saint; it will not be easy at all. I have a lot of wood to chop, and it is as hard as stone. I should have started sooner, while it was not so difficult; but, in any case, better late than never.” 

And I have been thinking about this in my own life over the last few weeks as I have been reflecting on what a lot of work, I have left to do to achieve perfection.  Saint Zelie Martin was a great Saint.  She must have been.  After all, her husband and some of her children also became great Saints.  She knew how to set an example of sanctity.  And she did this – not by being PERFECT, but for striving towards perfection – every single step of the way.

And I have come to realise that the greatest temptation in the world is not to have a go and give it a try to see if there is some good I can do.  And provided that I pray for the GRACE to be able to give it a shot, then through the GRACE of God, I have a chance to do something – anything – that might give my Beloved cause for a little smile.  And what a wonderful gift a smile from my Beloved would be…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.