My commitment to living intentionally this year has brought me to the decision that it is time to allow myself to be intentionally imperfect.
Have you ever found yourself at the end of a project or venture, and amidst kudos and compliments you find yourself disappointed? All you can see are the flaws, the mistakes, the missed opportunities? Have you let the striving for perfectionism steal your joy? I have–often. I don’t share that disappointment but I let it stew inside and steal my peace and contentment. I get so focused on the shortcomings that I miss the fulfillment of what I did accomplish.
I let my human inability to achieve perfection paralyze me from doing, creating, and caring because I know it will never be good enough. Some of my striving is driven by the voices from my past that felt it necessary to point out my shortcoming and dowse my enthusiasm. But, thankfully, the louder voice comes from a greater need to dive into God’s Word and understand His call and purpose for my life.
Striving for human perfection takes my eyes off of the Lord, His call, and His purpose. It breeds a desire for attention and comparison which lead to jealousy and envy.
Confession and forgiveness of perfectionism brings me back to faith and trust. It renews my commitment to obedience, to giving to the Lord what I can and when I can, and leaving the results to Him.
I commit myself to being intentionally imperfect. I do that by standing on the promises of God’s Word and by “forgetting what lies behind [successes and failures] and reaching forward to what lies ahead [being obedient to His call and leaving the responsibility for results to Him], I press on towards the goal [a stronger relationship with the Lord and with those that He has placed in my life] for the prize [eternal reward] of the upward call [ministry to family, church, and community] of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB, emphases mine).
Will you join me in moving away from perfection and towards obedience?
Sharing my heart,
