God is perfect. And furthermore, he wants us to be perfect. I’m not making this up. It’s Matthew 5:48. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

Okay, since perfection is  rather daunting, here’s a word study on the Greek word for perfect, teleios, which means to be complete, whole, or fully mature, like a person who has reached their final goal. It follows Jesus’s words about loving our enemies. “If you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Be perfect…”

To me it sounds like encouragement to 1) fully grow into everything God has for us and 2) to end well. The first part gives us meaning and purpose. It’s an invitation to the greatest of adventures. The second part gives us a little time. 

I recently saw “The Odyssey.” The Sirens’ song was depicted as an agonizing psychological entrapment, i.e., what you want most is what you cannot have, what you cannot have is what you lost, and you will always be haunted by all the promises you failed to keep. In short, the torture of profound, unrelenting regret. 

But God says nope to that. He can turn our regrets, failures, losses, and disappointments into maturity. He can save us from having tortured lives. It might take a while. Teleios seems to imply “maturity completed,” something that has successfully fulfilled the purpose for which it was made. But in the meantime, we can travel on that narrow path of wonder, depth, and transformation. I don’t know if everyone finds that wildly enticing, but I do. I want my life to count. Probably most everyone wants that.

What if the Sirens had sung this song? You are forgiven. You have a future. Perfect Love loves you. And you won’t die if you hear the song. You’ll fully live.