Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
A perfectionist is someone who believes that a task must be done in a flawless manner. Setting this unrealistically high standard inevitably sets one up for frustration and failure. The constant pressure to be perfect is exhausting and leads to burnout.
The problem with perfectionism should be obvious: We are not perfect, so nothing we do on this side of the grave will ever be perfect. To wit, perfectionism paralyzes our potential. It leads to harsh self-criticism, which in turn leads to low self-esteem. Procrastination sets in; we hesitate and delay because we know that won’t get things done perfectly, and our potential for serving our Lord is paralyzed.
But this is not for you! Let me make one thing clear: perfectionism is not the same thing as pursuing excellence. The pursuit of excellence is doing the very best we can with the resources God has given us to do it with. Our time, talents, and treasure are offered up to God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but we leave the results up to Him.
Here is where Satan loves to muddy the waters. He hisses at us urgently, “Do more! Try harder! Be perfect!” Excellence is not enough if perfection is our goal. We misapply Jesus’ words, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and our forward progress is paralyzed. The truth is that Jesus was not talking about our service to God, but our salvation before God; only Jesus could satisfy God’s demand for perfection through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
I have learned over the years that the best way to keep from sliding into perfectionism is to continue reading through the stories of the heroes of the Bible. Other than Jesus, every one of them was stained with sin and did everything imperfectly. They all demonstrated their “clay feet.” Abraham tried to short-circuit God’s promise and slept with Hagar, his wife’s servant. Moses murdered an Egyptian taskmaster. Moses’ brother Aaron fashioned a golden calf after the exodus out of Egypt. Rahab was a prostitute. David committed adultery and murder. Martha was distracted and irritable in her hospitality. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the church. Imperfect people always produce imperfect results.
Because God knows our perfectionistic tendencies and temptations, His Story recounts people just like you and me, shining the light of truth on all their blemishes and warts for all the world to see. No matter how hard we try, perfection is beyond our reach until we reach the other side. For now, we must simply be committed to doing the best we can for God’s glory and the good of others; if we do that, our potential will not be paralyzed by our perfectionism.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 