There has never been a perfect science experiment.  Nobody has ever written the perfect novel.  No system of government has ever achieved perfection, in form or execution.  And despite what they say in baseball, nobody has ever played a truly perfect game in sports.

So, is there anywhere in the world that true perfection actually exists?  Well, you guessed it—mathematics.  Bertrand Russell once said that mathematics is “sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show.”  It is a stern perfection, because mathematics brooks no dissent—1+1=2, no matter how loudly we protest.  We cannot get it sort of right.

There is even the idea of a perfect number in math that goes back to the ancient Greeks—that is, a number equal to the sum of its positive divisors.  The first perfect number is 6, which can be divided by 1, 2, and 3…which added together also equal 6.  Other perfect numbers include 28, 496 and 8128.  And mathematicians have continued to discover new, bigger perfect numbers over the centuries.

You may be thinking, “okay, but why should I care?”  You should care for two reasons: First, when you struggle with math, just remember, the reason it is hard is because it is the one field of knowledge where you can actually take a shot at being perfect.  Even when you miss, there is something wonderful about there being a right answer out there for you to know.

And second, you should care because the perfection of mathematics is given, not made.  Man did not invent perfect numbers, or make them up; he didn’t decide 1+1=2…he discovered it.  And in a world where perfection is hard to find, take joy in knowing that maybe God gave us math as a reminder that “his way is perfect” and “he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”

Have a wonderful day.