I'm Not Perfect

There’s a passage in Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he writes what might come across as arrogant: “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things” (Philippians 3:15). This can trigger all sorts of emotions, from shame (“I’m not mature enough”) to anger (“who does he think he is!”) to fear (“what if they find out I’m not very mature?”).

There’s a crucial connection in this passage that can be helpful. And it’s helpful not just for dealing with the triggers from this particular passage - because the truth is, we experience those feelings of shame, anger, and fear when it comes to questioning our own maturity in other settings as well. And we need help there, too.

Here’s the good news: immediately before this verse, Paul lays out what that word ‘mature’ means, and it’s not what we often think. He uses the same greek word in both spots (TELOS) to give us a hint that we should make the connection. And in the first instance he says “Not that I am already mature…” (Philippians 3:12). Then he goes on to talk about what he does: he tries to keep on growing in Christ.

So did you see the shift there? Maturity is NOT about some form of perfection, some state of being we need to arrive at. It’s a process. Maturity is a commitment to growth.

isn’t that refreshing?

So when he writes that all the mature should take the same perspective, it might be more helpful to translate it this way: “So everyone who admits that they are not perfect but who recognize there’s plenty more to learn should double down on their commitment to growth.” How does that strike you?