You are broken and messed up just like every one else.
Forgiven and loved - yes. Perfect - no!
Our tendency to want to appear perfect and hide our brokenness inhibits our spiritual growth and fosters addiction.
A practice to help break our perfectionism and lack of empathy is to think from time to time that we are just like everyone else.*
Try this...
When you are stuck in traffic, note that you are frustrated, just like everyone else.
When you have to wait in line, you are feeling impatient, just like everyone else.
When you walk by someone who appears to be mentally ill on the street, you are mentally ill to a certain degree, just like the person you just walked by.
You are forgiven and loved, just like everyone else.
I invite you to try it. You will discover immediate empathy and oneness.
Practice based on an interview with Pema Chodron on Sounds True - Video NLA on YouTube