“Be joyful, and aim for perfection.” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

‘Joy’ and ‘perfection’ seem like very lofty goals. Did Jesus not say, “You must carry your cross daily!” and “You must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

What is the relationship between the ‘cross’ and ‘joy’? Is it possible for us to achieve perfection like God Our Father?

The ‘cross’ is a symbol of ‘love’. Where there is ‘love’, there is ‘joy’. However, this ‘joy’ has a price, that is, the price of self-sacrifice.

The ‘perfection of God’ is built on unconditional ‘love’. Jesus said, “Just as the sun shines on the just and the unjust, the Father will also forgive those that are unjust.”
Once we realize that we must not ‘live for ourselves’ but love others around us ‘unconditionally’, we will become that much closer to reaching ‘joy’ and ‘perfection’.