Here is an article in the New York Times about the pressure on girls to be perfect in every way: varsity letter athletes in multiple sports, perfectly polished from head to toe, and scholarship winners entering Ivy League universities.

Oddly enough, the parents of the young woman featured in the article do understand that earthly outward "perfection" is obtained over the long run: “Our children start where we finished.”

What we do on earth doesn't get us into heaven, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. In other words, our perfection on earth doesn't earn us a ticket into heaven; however, we reap what we sow--generationally.

I'm not advocating that we should should lift up the "America Dream" as perfection because it's not reality. Getting the things we want in life requires hard work, sacrifice, and determination. These character traits can take generations to cultivate, and that means we've got to start now.