Several weeks ago, the topic of perfectionism came up in a conversation with a dear sister in Christ. It is something I have been mulling over for a long time, but never wanted to touch in writing. Yet, God quickly changed my mindset and this is what came of it.
We live in a society that puts perfection on a pedestal. People seek after the perfect body, life, house, car, family, relationship, talent, tradition, ministry, and so many things that we see plastered everywhere. Struggles are hidden behind closed doors, or carefully kept behind masks. Plainly, this concept of perfection is not something we find in Scripture. We must be weak and broken to see our need for a Savior.
Mark 2:17, "When Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’"
Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
However, this idea of perfection is found in so many aspects of American society, including the church.
It is draining.
It is exhausting.
It is depressing.
There is a constant weight placed on us by us to maintain this façade of perfection.
If we are honest, we admit that absolute perfection is an illusion, a wish, and a fairytale. Something that we will never attain on earth.
And so we fake it. We fake our happiness, our bank accounts, our health, and often we even fake our faith. We fake perfection in an effort to mask our flaws and struggles from other Christians, all for the fear of being judged or thought of differently. We want people to think of us as a better Christian, a better family, a better worker. Ultimately this takes our eyes off of Christ and places them on the successes and accomplishments of other people, thus beginning the comparison game.
Admittedly, I have fallen full force into this. I am guilty of faking smiles, friends, happiness, put-togetherness, and even my faith all for the eyes of others. I want people to think highly of me, and I am afraid of what people would think if I was honest. In turn, this leads to the “better than” game, and a pattern of comparison begins to control my mind.
This is a deep rooted problem in my heart. It begins with pride, and morphs into becoming my own god. If I can keep it all together on my own, why do I need Jesus? It has been said that: “The only person God cannot save is the one who does not need Him.” May that never be true! Only recently has God brought this sin to light in my heart. As Christians, we are free to throw ourselves on His grace and unchanging sufficiency of His love. We do not need to fear being turned away, because He knows us intimately and completely and chooses to love us anyway.
This is why I can proudly and FREELY declare that I am not perfect. I am not perfect on social media, in my work place, in my school, with my family, among my relationships, and even in my faith. I struggle, I fail, and I fall.
Yet I am confidant that “He who began a good work in (me) will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” While we will never be perfect on this earth, we can pursue becoming like Christ. When God looks at believers, He sees Christ. He does not see the broken and shattered mess we truly are. He already sees Christ’s perfection in us! We are called to run the race with excellence. But that does not mean that we need to BE perfect. We were not, cannot, and will not be perfect. We will fail. I will fail. Every time we fall, He is waiting and wanting to pick us right back up. There is no struggle too big that He cannot pull us out of. No pit too deep, no fall too hard, no brokenness too shattered. Instead of pretending everything is alright, let us throw ourselves at the throne of grace, fully and completely relying on our sweet Savior to provide us with mercy and strength for the trials of daily life.
