“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:21 NIV
Hi. My name is Brandy, and I'm a perfectionist. I'm not exactly sure how I came to be this way. It could be the messaging I received because of my identities that I needed to work twice as hard to be considered equally good. Or maybe the story when my mom was a child in the 4-H Club and entered a cookie baking contest. Contestants were asked to submit five cookies to the judges and my grandma made my mom bake over 5 dozen cookies so she could submit five cookies that were the same diameter and shape. My mom was ultimately disqualified because the judges thought her perfectly sized sugar cookies were store bought. Talk about irony!
Even the Bible encourages us in "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," (Colossians 3:23 NIV), which may translate to some as an edict to strive for perfectionism. Knowing Jesus explains this verse to mean "Our actions should reflect purity of attitudes and not be carried out grudgingly or simply due to necessity or need. There should be no inner murmurings or resentments, but rather our work should flow from an inner being that delights to be of service - and seeks to undertake all that we do enthusiastically and with blessed goodwill, as though we were doing it all for the Lord Jesus Himself."
Yet, the ideal of perfectionism is an earthly human made standard. When God set out to create the world, the sky, the expanse of day and night, the sun, the moon, the stars, land, and oceans, etc. throughout Genesis 1 it is recorded that "And God saw that it was good." Good. Not perfect. Not excellent. Not flawless. Just good.
If good is a high enough standard for God, why are so many of us striving to be perfect? The truth is we will not be perfected until the second coming of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:14 says "by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy," which means upon Jesus's death we were made perfect for eternity, however until His return we are being made holy not perfected.
Today I challenge you to release your notions of man-made perfection. We'll never be perfect on this earth anyway. Too many of us neglect resting (a form of the Sabbath), prioritizing our spiritual disciplines, or spending time with loved ones because we're overworking ourselves to attain perfection that does not exist. If "good" is good enough for God and everything He created, let your works be all good too.
Reflection
In what ways do I strive for perfection? What has perfection cost me? How can I realign myself to God's expectation of me instead of human expectations?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your standard. Forgive me for getting caught up in worldly notions of perfectionism. Help me to embrace being good and to do my tasks with a willing heart. Break me free from the bonds of trying to be perfect. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash
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