There is no need to strive to be imperfect, now, is there? It seems quite natural on Earth to not be perfect, wouldn’t you say? Striving to be perfect may wear you out. Perfect by whose standards, anyway?

You can intend to be many things. You can intend to be perfect, and then you have to forget about it! You can’t wrap yourself up in your intention, for then you hold on too tight. You have to let go so that your intention has breathing room. Grasping isn’t the way. Letting go is the way. Sit back and look forward to what today will bring.

Of course, you can work your head off to be perfect. Then, in addition to calling yourself a mistake-maker, you may also call yourself a failure!

Which would you choose, beloveds, perfection or happiness? Choose happiness. If you don’t feel happy at this time, then do something nice for others. You could, perhaps, accept people as they are. Acceptance seems to be hard in the world because of high standards.

Isn’t it wonderful to have high standards, you might ask?

There are two answers - Yes and No. It isn’t wonderful when, with high standards, you look down on others who don’t meet your fine standards. What is more important, high standards or love? You know the right answer here all right. Love is definitely a form of acceptance. Acceptance is like a welcome mat in front of your door.

A welcome mat does not say:

“This mat is only for people whose shoes are immaculate.”

The welcome mat in front of Heaven’s door is for the masses. It reads more like this:

“All are welcome here. Even the barefoot may come here. Even those without feet are welcome here. Come in.”

Or, you can have a welcome mat that simply says:

“Welcome.”

As you go along in life, perhaps you will grow to have a bigger welcome mat.

Meanwhile, you are growing regardless. Growth is natural. You don’t have to think growth into being. Growth comes on its own initiative. It doesn’t have to wait for you to tell it when or how much and so forth. Something within you, something inborn, takes care of you. A timer is set. You may not hear it go off, yet it will go off. Your growth is unstoppable anyway.

How does a puppy-dog grow? A little at the tail, and a little at the nose. Who makes growth happen? Well, I do. It is written in your DNA. You may think you run the show, yet there is so much that you receive. You do not credit yourself with making the sun rise in the morning or the sun set in the evening, yet you are a part of sunrise and sunset. You do not have to knock yourself out to grow. It is already accomplished. Your growth was set in motion before you were born. Why would you think you have to force your growth when it is assuredly going to come on its own?

You are not on an assembly line. You simply are pre-assembled.

All this in your DNA occurs with your consent. You forget, yet I do not. You try to hold on, and you forget. I don’t try to remember, yet I remember all you leaned toward so it doesn’t matter whether you remember or not. You are marked in My heart, marked indelibly in My heart, in My heart of hearts which, as it happens, is also yours.