It Does Not Have to Be Perfect

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This morning, we begin a heartfelt mini-series exploring the real challenges of life. Not with answers tied up in bows, but through the living stories of scripture and the lived realities of our hearts. We reflect on Abraham’s story and the appearance that God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Not as literal command, but as a lens to understand the deeper layers of spiritual struggle. Drawing from Secrets of Heaven §2819, we see even the Lord’s earliest battles were fought with appearances of good that matured into genuine goodness over time. That’s our journey too. We often begin from “immediate goods” – the need for praise, recognition, a trophy. And that’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s progress. Swedenborg reminds us that God leads us with infinite compassion, gently drawing us from lower loves to higher ones, not through guilt but through love. As I shared, we don’t have to be perfect. We just need to show up, try, and know that God blesses the trying. It’s unconditional love that draws us forward – and that’s what this series is about.