The Sight of Our Imperfections Should Not Take Away Our Peace

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It’s Fénelon Friday!

LETTER 11: The Sight of Our Imperfections Should Not Take Away Our Peace

There is something about your suffering which is very subtle and perhaps hard for you to understand. For even though you are convinced that your first concern is the glory of God, yet in your inmost soul it is the old self which keeps causing you so much trouble. The way I see the problem is this: I think that you really do want God to be glorified in your life, but you think that this is going to be accomplished by becoming more and more perfect. And in doing this you still are thinking of your own personal worth. So if you would truly derive profit from the discovery of your imperfections, I would suggest two things. First of all, never try to justify yourself before God. And second, do not condemn yourself. Instead, why not quietly lay your imperfections before God? And if, at that moment, there are some things you cannot understand about His will, simply tell Him that you are willing to conform your will to His in all things. And then go on in peace. For you must understand that peace is the will of God for you in every situation. There is, in fact, a peace of conscience which nonbelievers themselves should experience when awakened to repentance by God. And every tear of repentance should be peaceful and equaled with comfort. Remember the beautiful word which once delighted you, that the Lord was not in noise and confusion, but in the still, small voice. (I Kings 19:11-12).

Francis Fénelon, Let Go (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1973).

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  2. Thank you for the great insights I found in this post. It is a blessing to know that I do not have to be perfect before God. I also confess that God is in control.

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  3. Fenelon has so much wisdom for today! It’s hard to believe he'”s from a very different time and place, but it just highlights the fact that as people—we have the same challenges throughout time. For years I kept his advice to a woman about ‘guarding her mornings as a time for reflection and drawing near to God” pinned on my bulletin board as a reminder to myself. It comes from Spiritual Letters to Women and is called Rules For A Busy Life. “. . .Above al, try to save your mornings; defend them like a besieged city!” Love it. So happy to have found your blog.

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    1. Thank you so much Kelly! Everyone needs a little Fénelon! =) I’ve given away more copies of this book than I can count. And you are right, times have changed but people have not. Or needs, struggles, and challenges remain the same. I have found few people who compete with his wisdom. =)

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