How is it that we can even think of being "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?" It's a rather daunting idea! How can we ever be as perfect as our heavenly Father? He is God. We are poor, struggling creatures. While we made be may in His image, we are, nonetheless, only human!

This is a good example of how unfortunate it is when we take the Scriptures out of context. If we take "perfect" here to mean moral perfection, having all the virtues to the ultimate degree, then this is indeed an impossible command. And when the statementis are quoted out of context, that is the way it is often heard. But what is the context? You must "be children of your heavenly Father, for He makes His sun shine on the bad and the good, causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust." Our perfection lies in letting our love shine upon everyone, good and bad alike, and helping everyone insofar as we can. It is the way of compassion. The Christian way is the way of compassion and love like it is for the Lord Jesus.

Do you remember the news story of a few years ago when, on "Black Friday," a woman was stampeded by a group of shoppers. Why? For a $29 DVD player. What made an horrific story worse, someone took one of those DVD players right out of her hands!

Are you surprised by this? Unfortunately, most of us will shake our heads and say, "What has this world come to?" It really doesn't take us all that much by surprise any more. God forbid, but even we Christians get involved in such things. We not only want our "stuff," but we'll resort to almost anything to get it. Somehow we believe that "stuff" will make us happy. It may for a moment, but even the latest, most desired "stuff" soon becomes outdated and obsolete.

Jesus offers us a gift that never becomes obsolete. He promises to be with us always. And the best of it is that we don't have to wait in line or risk being knocked over to get it!

Have you ever met one of those "eccentric" people? You know the kind of person who might be a loner, or a little on the persnickety side. You might have even known a person who lived very frugally, but who, when they died, were discovered to be a multimillionaire? What kind of judgments do we make about such people? Are they oddities? Are they just mean or unhappy? And then, what runs through your mind when you find out such people were tremendous philanthropists?

Too often, we are too quick to judge. At one time or another, we are all guilty of observing external behaviors and believing we know the interior motives of another person. We naturally assume we know the other person's intentions and desires. But the fact is, we don't. We can never know. Sometimes others carry burdens that would shock us and bring us to tears. That's why Jesus tells us not to judge!

You say, :"The Lord's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? (Ezekiel 18:25

In 2003, the Loyola College in Maryland women's lacrosse team was ranked #1 in the nation. The players attributed their success to their coach, Diane Geppi-Aikens. Ms. Geppi-Aikens, a single mother of four, had coached from her wheelchair. She had suffered a brain tumor, which left her paralyzed on her left side, but she didn't let that stop her. She gave life her very best shot and never felt sorry for herself.

Life isn't always fair. You may feel that you have been cheated--perhaps by your family, friends, or lack thereof. Maybe you wish you were smarter, better looking, more athletic or more successful. Maybe you feel you never catch a break.

But the Lord promises his grace will be enough. Refuse to compare your fortune with that of others. Make no excuses. Trust in God's grace, and get on with life.

What's stopping you from getting the most out of life? List five blessings that the Lord has given to you.

A little girl was telling her father about how some of the boys in the neighborhood had set traps to catch birds. He asked her what she did about it.

"I prayed that the traps might not catch the birds," she said.

"Anything else?" her father asked.

"I prayed that God would keep the birds out of the traps," she replied.

"Anything else?"

"When the boys weren't looking, I went and kicked all the traps to pieces."

This determined little girl understands the meaning and purpose of prayer. In many of our prayers, we ask God to come around to doing our will--but true prayer is to discover God's will for us. We often approach prayer as trying to wring gifts from an unwilling, reluctant God; in fact, we come before a God who knows our needs better than we do ourselves.

Authentic prayer asks to make God's will our will--and being ready and willing to make the necessary transormations in our everyday life to make our prayers a reality. Prayer worthy of God seeks the grace to do the work God calls us to do (forgiveness, charity, justice) and to become the people God calls us to become (brothers and sisters under the one heavenly Father).