Striving For Perfection

            Accountability!  Sometimes this word scares me to death!  It means I am responsible, first to myself and then to whomever I’ve partnered with to keep me on task.  The truth is I am first accountable to God, because whatever it is I am choosing to do will one day be judged by the Almighty.  This is where having a partner is helpful!  It’s easy to brush off what I wanted to do as unnecessary if I only have myself to answer to!  

http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=B_Franklin_dnhs_US_2010

            I read another blogger’s post about “copying Benjamin Franklin.”  She explained that she’d read his autobiography and he, wanting to develop and nurture thirteen qualities, made himself a chart for plotting the progress each day of the week.  He would score his progress each day according to his success or failure.  

            I rather like this idea and see the merit since I too, have a list of ideas I would like to implement, but find myself slacking from day to day.  Oh I start out grand; for about three days!  Then I’m back to, “well if I don’t get to it today….”  You get the picture!  But to have something concrete and measurable for positive reinforcement might be the ticket to being successful!

            It was the quote by Benjamin Franklin at the end of her article that really struck me.  He was reflecting on his chart:  “on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it.”

            I can’t help but see this from the perspective of being a Christian, too.  Paul talks a lot about perfection in the Bible.  I am so far from perfect, it’s downright scary!  But that said, spiritual progress is in a word:  progress!  We need to pay attention to what is important.  While God’s grace is free, (bought at the price of Jesus’ life), we are still all guilty!  We are all responsible for putting Him on the cross....every time we sin!  There is no one else to blame.

            So when it comes to accountability in this arena, we need to consider the importance from an eternal perspective.  While I’d love to eat better, exercise, read a book a month, etc; the more important issue is my prayer life, Bible Study, mission work, my writing (since this is what God has called me to do!), etc.  

            While like Ben Franklin, I will never be perfect, ---in this life, it is my responsibility to strive toward that end.  I am accountable to God first, myself and then to help me reach my goals, a partner who will help me.  If it includes a chart for added incentive, then so be it!