Being Me, Perfectly

I read a document the other day that had some hand-written notes on it. The typed document was a copy of a speech given at a workshop for superiors given in the mid-1960s and discussed the role of a mother provincial. The handwritten quote is:

"Do not wish to be anything except what you are and try to be that perfectly."--St. Francis de Sales.

This quote was written not just once, but twice on the document. I tried to find the origin of the quote, but have not had much luck as yet. (To be honest, I did not try very hard. I will look again.) Was the quote said when giving the speech? Did the owner of this copy of the speech think of it when she heard the speech? That it is on a speech given by a woman religious about religious life is not surprising. I, however, started thinking about the ideas in a larger context.

The first part of the quote could suggest that a person should not try to strive for more or something else than what he or she is. There is a sense of limits and limitations in these words. We are told that we can be whatever we want; there are no limits. In religious life, particularly in a pre-Vatican II Church, women religious had many restrictions placed upon them and the structure of that life extended to careers. If the community needed more teachers, then a young woman became a teacher, even if she was not possessed with the skills or talents of an educator. There is a deeper religious or spiritual element to this type of life, both then and now. But, I still have to work that part out to my satisfaction.

In the reality of religious and secular life, there are limits, but we do not like to hear that. We can be or do anything we want to do, right? Not necessarily. Not everyone has a choice in how they wish to live and be. If one looks at it from a different perspective, a person should realize what he or she is and do that well. Do not waste time trying to do something that one was not meant to do or be; be what one was called to be.

Talking about callings and vocations is not a part of normal, every-day conversation. Thinking about how I do my work and live my life, do I strive to everything well? Perfectly, even? Am I doing what I am meant to do and doing it perfectly? Do I neglect what has been given to me?

I am sure there are aspects of the meaning of this quote that I missed, but I am very aware of my limitations.