You are not alone if you feel like our culture puts continual pressure on us to perform. It tells us to be more, spend more, and do more to the extremes − and to the point of exhaustion. We often buy the lie that once we get this one thing (whatever it happens to be for each of us) we will be happy and satisfied, but the chase never seems to let up.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the bestseller by Shauna Niequist entitled Present Over Perfect. This genuine and hopeful book of one woman's struggle for a grounded, peaceful life gave me words when the pain and frustration I held was too deep to express. I like to think of Shauna as a friend because her words walked with me through the process of letting go and of learning to treasure the everyday moments. And I know her book has done the same thing for many others who I know.
Present Over Perfect is the story of a journey from chronic overbusyness to meaningful connection, and an invitation to join in on that. The author frequently remarks that if she could make these hard, countercultural changes in her life, then anyone can. Thus at its core, it is a book designed to help open-hearted others to see areas in their lives where they might be prone to give into the world's pressure to do more, prove more, achieve more. If you are feeling weary, overspent, discouraged, ungrounded, chaotic, or questioning your life's purpose, then this book is for you.
But don’t come expecting a theological discourse or a biblical commentary on busyness. The perspective here is laidback, conversational, and hospitable, as in, "Come, let's acknowledge our struggles together" − not just the surface issues, but our deep-set tendencies and habits that cause us to forget who God is and who we are. Like how often do we brush aside prayer to our loving, powerful Father due to feelings of shame, insignificance, or pride? And how often do we say "yes" to a commitment that we aren't really called to just because we feel guilty or want to prove ourselves?
Don't come expecting Niequist to solve all your problems with a five-step formula; come expecting her words to reverberate with your inmost, heartfelt thoughts so you can seek God deeper and re-order your life around what matters.
And don't come expecting a put-together life or a philosophy that mimics the world's. God's way is to let go of endless proving and achievement in order to rest − actually rest − because you know that He alone provides your identity: you are a loved, blameless, holy, precious, blood-bought daughter or son of the living God.
Somewhat chronological yet not in a specific order, Present Over Perfect meanders through changes in thought processes and how that affects daily living. Some may find it too messy or unfocused, as I did at first, but any reader captivated by Niequist's gut-honest, vivid reflections will be able to look past that to see the value in her story. It’s not a bestseller for nothing!
Shauna Niequist left me with a mind full of images of how to be present and connected as well as a heart full of stories and reflections − ideal and not-so-ideal. The point is that we should embrace the messy, playful, and silly (instead of picture-perfect) as our definition of worthy and beautiful. And that is a message that the world desperately needs to hear!
As a college student trying to craft that ever-elusive perfect resume, social life, and faith walk, this book was a gentle yet urgent push to stop looking to the future to finally enjoy life: it turns out that the beauty, the joy, and the peace happen here, in this moment. NOW − that's where my mind needs to rest. Lord, open my eyes to see life like that.
