Therefore do what belongs to thee, and suffer our Lord to give what He will, and teach Him not. Think thyself wretched and negligent, and as it were in great fault for such things, yet for this fault and all other venials which cannot be eschewed in this wretched life lift up thy heart to God, acknowledging thy wretchedness, and cry God mercy, with a good trust of forgiveness, and strive no more therewith, nor stay any longer upon it, as if thou wouldst by main strength not feel such wretchedness, but leave off and go to some other good exercise, either corporal or spiritual, and resolve to do better the next time. Though thou shouldst fall another time into the same defect, yea, an hundred times, yea, a thousand, yet still do as I have said, and all will be well. Moreover a soul that never finds rest of heart in prayer, but all her life is striving with her thoughts, and is troubled and letted with them, if she keep her in humility and charity in other things, she shall have great reward in heaven for her good will and endeavours.(John Climacus)

We are not called to present perfection. We are called to self-awareness and recognition of our relationship with the Perfect.

We are created by the Perfect for perfection, but also so through us the Perfect might participate in and know the imperfect.

The Perfect delights in our freedom, our choices, and even our errors. In us and through us the Perfect has broken the bounds of perfection.

Yet the Perfect also preserves us from the final end of imperfection and reclaims us to the never-ending life of perfection.

Embrace this day - especially this Good Friday - and know the reality of both the Perfect and the imperfect.