Are You Drowning in Perfectionism?

 2 Corinthians 12:9

 “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Perfectionism might sound like a good thing on the surface, but it hides a nasty secret. Underlying the desire to be perfect, to have the perfect home, perfect appearance or perfect performance, is a need to be accepted, approved of by man and ultimately pride over what we have done or accomplished and not what God has done through us. Often anxiety goes hand in hand with perfection as well as a loss of joy and peace in our life. I work with many clients who spend hours ensuring their home or yard is magazine worthy and miss out on playing with their children or engaging with those they love. There was a time I believed I had to always get an A in class or somehow I had failed. Notice the I, perfection is all about me, not what God is doing in me. Perfection is a lie that will steal time, kill joy and destroy relationships when left unchecked.  This doesn’t mean we don’t do our best in the tasks set before us, it means that we do our best and depend on God and seek to please Him.

It is through our weaknesses, our imperfections, that Christ works best. You don’t need to strive, it is given by His grace.  If we want Christ to work through us, we must acknowledge and embrace our weaknesses. We depend on Him for our sufficiency, without Him we are unable to walk in the fullness of what He has planned for us. He is perfection and all of us will fall short without Him, no matter how hard we try to be perfect.

When we are under the illusion that we can achieve perfection, pride takes root in our hearts. But when we acknowledge upfront how far away from perfection we are, He can grow in us a spirit of humility, making us more like Christ.

Prayer activation: Jesus, I confess I have sought after the approval and acceptance of men and have worried about what others think. I repent Lord for putting my skills, my performance ahead of you and for every moment I resisted relying on you. I rebuke pride and renounce the lie that I have to look or act a certain way to have value in your Kingdom. I choose to put my trust in you. I choose to accept that where I am weak you are strong. I declare that your grace is all I need and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am your creation, perfectly and wonderfully made just as I am. I count myself blessed to be called a child of God. Blessed am I when others insult me, persecute me and falsely say all kinds of evil against me because of you. I will rejoice and be glad for great is my reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted you. In Jesus name, Amen.