Not in this life. I've had good days, really, really good days. Days that I wished could go on forever. Days that I wanted to repeat, relive, revisit. Happy days, successful days, exciting days, lazy days--each good in their own way, but not a one of them perfect.
Why?
The simple "church" answer would be to say because sin exists in the world, and that would be correct. Until sin is abolished, we will not know perfection. But that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the other thing that gets in the way of perfection, that obstacle which seems to interfere with perfection at every opportunity.
Me.
Why me?
Why do I think I am the obstacle that interferes with perfection? Because we are talking about a subjective experience--my perception of a day as being perfect--and I struggle to know what perfection is. That's another way of saying I'm hard to please. I think we all are.
Let's take something simple, like the weather. What's a perfect weather day? Most people would say it starts with clear, blue skies. Maybe a few puffy white clouds. 80 degrees, a little breeze, low humidity. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Unless you are running, then it might be a little too warm, or if you are swimming, a little too cool.What's good weather to sit outside in the shade isn't so great when you get in your hot car.
What I'm trying to say is we all can find something to be a little less than perfectly satisfied. That perfect, 80 degree, sun-shine filled day is perfect, until we want something just a little different. The problem is, we are picky, finicky, fussy, and hard to please.
And that's just with the weather.
When it comes to what happens in our near-perfect day weather wise, our perfection meters bottom out fast. First, do any of you know any perfect people? Be honest. I'm not perfect. Are you? So unless our day is going to be people-less, there's another shot below the waterline of our perfect day. Then we have to eat. When was your last, absolutely perfect meal? Three times in one day? A day when you never had a single ache or pain, not one stress or worry, not a single dissatisfying experience?
It's never happened for me. There are simply too many variables, too many things that can, in my eyes, go wrong. And remember, it's our perception of perfection we are talking about. In light of that, honestly admitting how finicky we truly are, I don't think a perfect day is possible. Not until we see heaven, or see Jesus return. Then we'll know--without a doubt--what perfection is. Until then, we're either going to be constantly disappointed, or we have to change our expectation.
So what about good?
I don't want to live a life of disappointment. If I expect my days to be perfect, that's exactly what's going to happen. From the time I wake up with a sore back to the time I have trouble falling asleep, a myriad of disappointments are going to assail me. If I expect perfection, I'm not going to get it.
So I don't. I don't expect perfection. Not to be misunderstood, I'm not saying I don't aim for perfection (2 Corinthians 13:11). I try to be perfect (and fail!). I don't expect you to be perfect. I don't expect the weather to be perfect. What I try to do is recognize what is good. When I do that, I realize I have a whole lot more good days than bad. In fact, even in my "bad days," there's usually more good than bad if I take the trouble to look for it.
I'm alive. I have Jesus as my Savior, and therefore I have eternal life. I have a wife and family, a comfortable home, more food than I could possibly eat. I live in a safe environment in a country with many freedoms. God has provided me with much, much more than I deserve. That's pretty good, I'd say.
So I have to say, today is a really good day.
It's just starting. I don't know what will happen, or how it will end. Looking at the paragraph above, however, I have to say that today is a good day. And yesterday, though not perfect, was pretty good too.
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