NOTHING IS PERFECT – DEAL WITH IT!
Before we go further, let me answer this objection: “Are you saying that we should be content with mediocrity and bad service delivery?’ Not so; in fact, I would like to suggest that we hold everything and everyone to the highest form of accountability. However, my point is, we must also be prepared when people don’t meet those expectations, and be ready to rise above it. Because there is a high chance that whatever expectations and standards you have set for this country, or for your wife, or for your boss or for your sister – they will not meet them. You have to be ready to accept that; to thrive in spite of it.
Take, for example, our Christian Faith, we all know what the biblical standard is with regard to a variety of issues. Yet, I can look at the best of believers throughout history, the Puritans for example, and see that some of them owned slaves. They saw slavery as a good thing. I mean, how could they!? Even today, we all expect Christians to follow every Biblical principle down to the last verse. Yet they don’t, do they? As I speak, there is a lengthy ticket of complaints about what churches do and do not do, what Pastors were supposed to do and not do, how Christians must be and not be. Expectations are not met. What then are we going to do? Are we going to quit church and stay at home? Is that a good solution according to you? How about you accept that as long as we are in this world, there will always be a non-perfect Christian system. That must never prevent us from the local fellowship with fellow believers. It’s because we understand that the Church of Christ is a work in progress. It’s called sanctification.
How about the government? We would all agree that they already possess the best resources, have the best funding, with even the most intelligent leadership elected just for that. Yet their service delivery is bad. In fact, it’s the worst ever. We can mourn and complain about it all day, or we can accept it as it is, mind our business and try as much as we can to make use of the opportunities and doors that the Lord has opened for us. To thrive, and to arrive at our destination despite all these setbacks.
The same thing with people. I am talking about your husband, your wife, colleagues, teachers, family members, etc. Don’t we all wish that they could be the thing that we expect them to be? Wouldn’t it be nice if they were the best versions of themselves – angels in disguise!? Yet they don’t. In fact, to say they give us problems is an understatement. What is the best solution then? Being angry and bitter, and cutting them off, will that make a difference? I do not think so. Instead, my suggestion is that you must call them to order, definitely, but with patience and understanding, while maintaining your joy and love for them. Sometimes that is costly, sure. But I believe it’s worth it in the long run. A good teacher once said, we must be willing to love people, not for who they are now, but for who they could become. That is, remind yourself that people do not always stay the same. What one is today may be something else in many years to come (hopefully for the better). Therefore, you have to see them through the lens of the future. That will help you to rise above who they are today.
Now, what about you? Do you always do everything as expected, at any given time? Do you always follow every rule and complete every task, really? Because it’s easy to forget that you also have problems. If your answer is negative, then I say, welcome to the Imperfect Club. How then would you want people to deal with you since you are also failing to meet their expectations? Do you see?
The heart of the issue is to remind all of us that this world is not a utopia (heaven on earth). It’s a fallen world with broken systems and people. However, that is not a reason for us to lose hope, but for us to take these things as an exercise in our character and resilience. To make it to the other side, in spite of whatever obstacle. To use the words of John MacArthur, “Do not expect everything in your life to be good. That will not happen. But what you can expect is this: God will weave everything together for His own beloved children to produce a good result, both in time and for all eternity.” One more quote, this time from Jordan Peterson, “You are not here to be happy. You are not here to be materially satisfied, not that that would be possible anyway, but you are here to contend with the structure of reality.” I must add, whatever imperfect reality you find yourself in, strive to rise above it on your way to achieving your goals. In other words, I am saying that you do not have an excuse for making the most of the life that God set out for you: in all aspects of it. Meet the worst challenges, but they must never take away your joy in the Lord. Do not allow them to derail your dreams of becoming the best version of your Christian self. That is the meaning of life.
Sinothi Ncube
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