Perfectionism vs. Excellence

Today I became a believer that I am a perfectionist. You want to let yourself down? Believe in being perfect. It's not going to happen! Only Jesus is perfect. I thank God that when He looks at me, He sees me as His beautiful creation who is striving to become more like Him.

Trust me when I say, I am no where near perfect and I decided this morning that I am going to be more realistic when I look at others who seem like they really "have their stuff together". Because I know that every single person on this Earth is a sinner and has struggles just like I do....DAILY!

This morning in "Keepers of the Heart and Home" we talked about perfectionism and how it plays a vital role in our society. Magazines, News, Reality TV, Movies, etc. all create expections in the world that creates little voices in our head telling us that we are not as good as this model or actress or successful business woman on the news. Be encouraged! Those voices can be turned off when you turn to God.

What's so wrong with trying to be perfect? Well for starters you lose sight of what's really important in life. If you can't stop working on something until it's perfect, you'll never stop! Think about all the opportunities you're missing out on while you're trying to "perfect" something. Nothing is quite as good as it could have or should have been, focusing on the negative. This one can really affect the people around you. You tend to focus on what did not get done, instead of what you DID get done. If you sincerely did the best you could do with the time that you had, rest in that. This is where excellence comes in to play. It is important that you do things with excellence, to the best of your ability, and be proud of yourself and what you accomplished! Not nit-picking at every single thing you could have done a certain way. Boy is that exhausting.

If you are stuck in the perfectionistic bubble, go to God for his grace is sufficient! Here are a few verses to help you change your perfectionistic ways.
Psalm 18:30-32
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Galatians 5:1 Christ has set us free....we  need not be a slave to anything, even our own need or desire to be perfect. (Chelsea's interpretation)
Ephesians 2:8-9- "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, -and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." Ringing any bells? We can't do anything at all to make God love us any more or any LESS than He already does. Thank you Jesus!
Zephaniah 3:17- "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save,He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

Hope you enjoyed this first entry. Try to make some adjustments to your expections, as I plan on doing this week to enjoy life a little more!