I find a good many people have been bothered by .... Our Lord's
words, 'Be ye perfect'. Some people seem to think this means 'Unless you are
perfect, I will not help you'; and as we cannot be perfect, then, if He meant
that, our position is hopeless. But I do not think He did mean that. I think He
meant 'The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want
something less: but I will give you nothing less.'
Let me explain. When I was a child I often had toothache, and I
knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something which would deaden
the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother
- at least, not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was
this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also
do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist next morning. I
could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I
did not want. I wanted immediate relief from pain: but I could not get it
without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists: I
knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not
yet begun to ache. They would not let sleeping dogs lie, if you gave them an
inch they took an ell.
Now, if I may put it that way, Our Lord is like the dentists. If
you give Him an inch, He will take an ell. Dozens of people go to Him to be
cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of (like masturbation
or physical cowardice) or which is obviously spoiling daily life (like bad
temper or drunkenness). Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop
there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you
the full treatment.
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