The Word and the Journey to Perfection

Dear Reader,  

Yesterday I took on the meaning of the expression, "The Word." 

I would go further today and make comments on The Word and the Journey to Perfection. 

 

We often hear in recovery circles, “We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” (AA Big Book, p. 60) At first, this is a great relief: we don’t have to be perfect to belong, to heal, or to matter. 

But over time, we begin to ask deeper questions:  What does “perfection” really mean? 
And what does “the Word”—in scripture and in life—have to do with it? 

 

1. The Word as the Seed of True Perfection 

In the beginning, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This divine Word isn’t just text—it’s voice, presence, and power. It calls life into being. And in us, it plants the seed of becoming whole. 

“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him…” 
— Moroni 10:32 

 

Perfection isn’t something we force. It grows in us when we open ourselves to the Word—when we let it speak, correct, and comfort us. As in recovery, healing begins when we stop pretending and start listening. 

 

2. Progress, Not Performance 

In both faith and recovery, we are reminded: 

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” 
— Walter Elliot 

Likewise, perfection is not about flawless behavior. It’s about being made whole—teleios in the Greek—a word meaning “complete” or “mature,” not “without flaw.” 

The Word becomes our companion, not our judge. It redirects us when we drift, encourages us when we fail, and calls us back with love. 

 

3. The Word Made Flesh 

The ultimate picture of perfection is not an angel on a pedestal, but Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh—who sat with sinners, wept with the grieving, and washed the feet of his friends. 

“He learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” 
— Hebrews 5:8 

Even the perfect One endured. His perfection included compassion, humility, and persistence—qualities forged through hardship, not ease. That kind of perfection welcomes our struggle. 

 

4. Speaking the Honest Word 

Recovery invites us to speak truth—to share our story, admit our wrongs, and name our fears. This is how the Word enters our wounds. 

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” 
— Mary Anne Radmacher 

Perfection begins with the courage to show up honestly, to try again, to let grace speak a better word over our lives than shame ever could. 

 

5. From Weakness to Strength 

“If they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” 
— Ether 12:27 

This is not just poetic. It is the pattern. The Word doesn’t shame our weakness—it transforms it. What we thought disqualified us becomes the very soil in which grace grows. 

Closing Reflection: 

“We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines…” 
— Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 60 

The Word does not demand perfection. It invites growth.  Perfection is not a goal we reach, but a relationship we enter—step by step, word by word. 

Amen