“One must bear one’s own imperfections in order to reach perfection” (St. Francis de Sales).
It is part of the “school of humility” to learn to bear one’s own imperfections as well as those of others. How much we would like to be already perfect! In fact, that is the goal to which we are called (Mt 5:48). But the way to this goal is not without difficulties.
Our Father does not simply exempt us from the obstacles of life on the way to perfection. On the contrary, He uses them to purify us from our ingrained pride and to make us trust Him more than ourselves.
Our inner transformation takes place when, on the one hand, we perceive our imperfections with pain, but, on the other hand, we learn to bear them with patience instead of angrily fighting them.
The first step is at least to recognize and admit one’s own imperfections and mistakes. How easy it is for us to overlook them, perhaps thinking we are already virtuous without really being so! Thus we fall into a kind of pious self-deception.
On the other hand, bearing our imperfections-which, by the way, should not be voluntary imperfections-makes us like the Lord, who patiently bears our faults. Our pride is humbled when we realize again and again that our own efforts are not enough and that we depend above all on the Lord and His patience. This realization, in turn, increases our love and gratitude to Him and becomes the source from which we drink to be patient with ourselves and with others.