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Perfection that’s possible
A lifelong friend and I were chatting in a cafe. She asked me some questions about Christian Science, and when one of my responses included the word perfect, she commented, “It’s a lot of pressure to be perfect. Why would you want to be perfect all the time? I certainly am not perfect, nor do I want to be.”
I completely understood her point. Trying to be perfect every day would be exhausting. However, we were using the same word but with two different definitions. She thought I was referring to perfectionism, which is the refusal to accept anything short of human perfection. But in my study of Christian Science, I’ve learned about spiritual perfection, something each of us has from God. Human perfection is short-lived and inconsistent, whereas the perfection we find in God is eternal and constant—and striving to express it improves our human character and experience.

December 2, 2019 issue
View Issue-
From the readers
Jane Carey, Joy V. Smith, Todd Wittenberg
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Gift-giving
Larissa Snorek
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What has my attention, and why?
Mary Mona Fisher
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Perfection that’s possible
Elaina Simpson
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Place, purpose, and opportunity for all
Charlene Anne Miller
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Defending journalistic freedom
Rosalie E. Dunbar
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From ‘the liberal’ and ‘the conservative’ to friends
Ingrid Peschke
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I was a seeker for Truth
Pauline Boulong Yondi
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‘I feel like I don’t have faith in God’
Judy Olson
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Poison ivy reaction quickly disappears
Christine Whitney
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No more severe sunburn or snow blindness
Charles William Linderman
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Painful condition quickly healed
Rob Van Der Like
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Rotation in office
The Christian Science Board of Directors