Sharing Our Stories: Thoughts on being perfect

Complete and Christlike
A guest post by Amber Hoopengarner

“Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, become perfect like him.”

– Matthew 5:48 (TPT)

Reading through scriptures one serene morning. I stumbled upon the above verse and as I pondered the wording, I thought surely no one can be perfect like Jesus.

So, true to my nature I began to search Google and read through Bible commentaries to see what it meant, as you can see Jesus was not saying be perfect as only, He can be, we know that is not a task any human can accomplish. If you look at the news and read the paper and follow the world events for even just a moment or two, it is evident as to why Jesus stated that we are to be “perfect” (all-inclusive, well rounded, and spiritually mature).

This last year has indicated to us that there is still so much work to be done within the body of Christ when it comes to racial differences. We profess to love others but choose not to share in each other’s burdens, we say we will suffer with our struggling brothers and sisters but then choose to respond with ignorance and claims of not seeing color. However, Jesus tells us to be well rounded meaning to see, hear, and seek to understand how life is experienced from other’s perspectives and to love them while we inquire about their struggles and hardships.

All-inclusive and spiritually mature means to embrace all believer’s battles and not justify sweeping them under the rug for sake of keeping the peace, but to address it in love and compassion that is the way to do it as a spiritually mature Christian. God has not commanded us to overlook the racial injustices of this world but to speak on them, in fact as we can see from this verse, he has called us to inform ourselves, to get all the knowledge we can about all our brothers and sisters in Christ those who look like us and those who do not so that we can better represent him and pattern ourselves after his character.

We as Christians have a mandate from Jesus himself to care about the underdogs, the misrepresented, and those who are suffering persecution.

As you go throughout your day, I encourage you to ask yourself in what way are you helping these minority groups? I ask that you look deep within your heart of hearts and evaluate if you have been ignorantly breezing through life without trying to put yourselves in another’s shoes? If so, how can you begin to take steps to broaden your horizons and change your mindset?

When you wake up, beloved, how do you want to represent Christ? What legacy to do you want to leave on this world? When you meet the Savior of the world face to face, what do you want Him to say? When is your life examined by God, what deeds do you want to be acknowledged for?

I want to know I did all I could for those who could not do it for themselves, in a way that was complete and Christlike.

Let's Pray: God, as we look at the world around us, let us practice compassion and love for those not like us. You said God that we are all one body, yet we see so much division. Please bring complete maturity into your body so we can be light in this dark world. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Amber Hoopengarner is a writer and self-published author who is also a Certified Life Coach working with women who suffer from PMADs and children who suffer from mental health disorders. 

She is a Maternal Mental Health Advocate and works to help raise awareness within the church of mental health disorders especially among BIPOC women.

Amber graduated in 2016 from the University of Phoenix with an Associates in Human Services Management and is currently in the process of obtaining her bachelor’s in psychology. She also has certificates in Mental Health Coaching, Bibliotherapy and CBT as well as in Perinatal Mood Anxiety Disorders.

Amber loves God and people! She enjoys making a difference through bringing up issues and challenges that sometimes would not otherwise be addressed. Amber believes that God wants His people to be loved where right where they are while they are working on who He has called them to become.

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Connect with Amber:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amberwha35/