On Imperfection, Wisdom from Roberta Bondi, and Growing Compassion
A Note from Me
Gluttony isn’t something from my past—it’s still with me. I haven’t conquered it yet, and God hasn’t taken it away. I’m not sure why. But maybe it has something to do with what we’ve been exploring. Maybe some failures remain—not to condemn us, but to cultivate something deeper within us.
There’s an old piece of Christian wisdom that explains it:
Humility deepens as we learn to patiently tolerate our imperfections.
Patiently tolerating our imperfections doesn’t mean condoning them; it means recognizing that transformation takes a long time. The further I’ve traveled, the clearer this has become: some imperfections don’t have to be obstacles to transformation—they’re invitations to a deeper kind.
Even succumbing to temptation, though never something we should seek, can lead us into a raw honesty about where we are on our journey. It pushes us toward a dependence that dismantles our carefully constructed illusions of self-sufficiency and sets in motion the most powerful force in the world: humility.
This humility has changed how I see myself—not as a hero, but as someone vulnerable, wounded, and still journeying. And from that humble recognition, compassion has emerged within me, softening my heart and opening me to empathy.
*From Chapter 4 of my first book Dwelling in Christ: Discover the Threefold Path of Spiritual Transformation
A Voice from the Christian Tradition
“What is humility? In some important respects it is the master virtue that includes all the others, It is not a matter of deliberately cultivating low self-esteem and a doormat mentality, as we might think. Rather, for the monastic teachers being humble meant knowing that we are all beloved children of God, that the worth of each person comes not from ourselves but from God. Because this is true, the humble man or woman knows that it is not part of any Christian’s job to judge or be scornful of other people.
A humble person is one who is, on the one hand, able to accept responsibility toward others for what he does wrong without feeling humiliated by it, and, on the other, to accept praise or thanks without feeling particularly embarrassed or lording it over others because of his or her accomplishments.”
—Roberta Bondi, To Pray & To Love
A Question to Carry
How might weakness in you grow compassion for others?
More soon,
—Jon
I am reminded of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”, when God said “my power is made perfect in your weakness” (paraphrasing). It is good that we stay imperfect and humble!