Guide my feet into the way of peace...direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me (Ps. 119).
Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.
I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me (Ps. 119).
I would venture to guess that most of us spend a good bit of our lives trying to "get it right," and find more often than not that we have "screwed up" once again. (Just as I finished writing the Scripture quotes above, I overturned an entire cup of coffee all over my keyboard, mouse pad, papers and books littering my desktop, and even under the glass top of my desk, necessitating taking everything off the desk, removing the heavy glass top, and mopping up the desk, the floor, and everything in the vicinity -- case in point!)
When Jesus said, "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect," I do not think He was smoking acid or hallucinating. He knew exactly what He was dealing with, beginning with the apostles and moving outwards to the general populace, including you and me. In the Book of Jonah, YHWH tells the prophet that the poor Ninevites, the most cruel people on earth, "do not know their right hands from their left hands." I've always loved that insight into human nature, and I often tell the Lord that He knows well that I do not know my left hand from my right! If He does not guide me at every moment, I will do exactly what comes naturally to me -- screw it all up, confuse myself and everyone around me!
One of the things I love about Jesus is His basic assumption that we would never "get it right" without Him: Without Me, you can do nothing! He assumed from the get-go that we were all sinners in need of redemption, that we had all created chaos and confusion for ourselves and for those around us -- and that, without Him, we would continue to do so. The good news is that we do not have to get it right and figure it out ahead of time. The Christian life is one of being taught, of continually receiving instruction from the Spirit sent to us to dwell in us and teach us at every moment of our lives. We just have to keep coming back -- every day -- for our lessons.
I have written before about a vision granted to me many years ago, but I'll repeat it here:
In my vision, I saw the entire heavenly court surrounding a large open space where a retarded child -- a little girl that I knew to be myself -- who was being instructed by Jesus. Jesus was teaching the child the first step of a dance. As the child learned the step, she did it over and over, "showing off" to the court of heaven: "I got it! I've got it! she exclaimed with joy and excitement, over and over. Then, after she had made the rounds, showing everyone her "dance," Jesus gently called her back to Him and began patiently teaching her the next step. "I've got it; I've got it!" she exclaimed again, dancing her two steps around the circle for all to share in her joy.
All we can do on our journey is to stay connected to the indwelling Presence of Jesus in us through the Holy Spirit. It is true that we know some things, but the dance has only begun. Only He knows the whole story of our lives; only He can lead us to the next step. I love that the Psalmist says, "Direct my feet into the way of peace," and "Your (living) Word is a lamp unto my feet." In our heads, we do not have it all figured out. We know only what we have been taught by the Lord, but that is only the first or the second step. The child thinks she's "got it," but if we do not stay connected to the Teacher, as Paul says, "We know in part." We don't know how to "be perfect," but we can stay in union with the One Who does know and who knows how to teach us. "If you remain in Me, and I remain in you," says Jesus, "you can ask for whatever you will, and it will be granted to you" (Jn. 15:7).
When we're connected, in union with, the Teacher, life is no longer coincidental -- everything begins to teach us if we are willing to learn. Now, let's hope my computer continues to work with coffee in its "inner man."
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