tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19785125.post9149612168863135702..comments2024-01-03T07:56:32.311-05:00Comments on quaker oats live: perfectionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07488876505679035140noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19785125.post-12593583898541464942007-04-01T00:49:00.000-04:002007-04-01T00:49:00.000-04:00Will's comment is made all the more poignant knowi...Will's comment is made all the more poignant knowing you will have your very own two-year-old in less than two years now! Thanks for blogging in the midst of it all.<BR/><BR/>-- Chris M.Chris M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05125825966802002625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19785125.post-62488068345741774632007-03-28T22:23:00.000-04:002007-03-28T22:23:00.000-04:00Cherise,I commend Proposition 8 of Barclay's Apolo...Cherise,<BR/>I commend Proposition 8 of Barclay's Apology to you. In it he deals with perfection. He reiterates Fox's position that it is possible. In fact he says that it is a "horrid blasphemy" against the power of God to say that God cannot make us perfect in this life. <BR/><BR/>But the key to understanding perfection is, I think, realizing that the English language has changed since the 1600's. Perfect also had the meaning of being whole or complete. So think of the command as "Be ye whole, even as your Father in Heaven is whole" and see if doesn't seem more attainable.<BR/><BR/>Barclay uses the analogy of a child. A child can be perfect but still have room for growth. In fact, a perfect two-year old can still be difficult to live with (at times) because part of the work of a two-year old is to develop their own identity by exploring the meaning and use of the words "mine" and "no."<BR/><BR/>So think of the spiritual life as a search for wholeness and not perfection. I find that when I do that, it is easier for me to forgive myself for falling short. I have also found, that if I stay close to my Inward Guide that I am less inclined to wander off where I should not be. When things are going well I can stay in that place for a good 5 minutes or so. I read a prayer once that I liked a lot, it goes something like this:<BR/>"Dear God, I thank you. So far today I have not had any unkind thoughts and I have not spoken harshly to anyone or hurt them. I have not been angry or selfish or unkind. But now Lord, I am going to need all the help I can get from you to continue as I am about to get out of bed. Amen."<BR/><BR/>WillWill Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02903171659222213813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19785125.post-47488919512462934682007-03-28T14:56:00.000-04:002007-03-28T14:56:00.000-04:00I think your thoughts are on the right track but w...I think your thoughts are on the right track but words can be deceptive. Yes we can choose good over evil, but perfection is something entirely different. Perhaps Matthew meant good, not perfect. Perhaps George Fox meant perfect, not just good. In any event, I think anyone who believes they are perfect or capable of perfection deceives themselves. And that can be a dangerous thing. We are only human and can only strive to be good and the best we can be, which will always be less than perfect.Swallowtailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680272802378923184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19785125.post-67993505904611515362007-03-28T09:58:00.000-04:002007-03-28T09:58:00.000-04:00I heard a Conservative Friend say something about ...I heard a Conservative Friend say something about perfection that made a lot of sense to me. Each moment of our lives, we are given a choice...do we act in accordance with Divine Will or not. Each moment, we have the choice to be perfect or not.<BR/><BR/>While I don't believe that perfection (or sanctification) is a second work of grace, I do believe that perfection is possible in this lifetime. But I gotta tell ya, I sure gotta long way to go :-).quakerboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00762340904563467030noreply@blogger.com