Christian Perfectionism:
A Habit Worth Breaking!
The issue of Christian perfectionism has been around for a long time and it surrounds so many of us
on a daily basis. Many times this particular struggle arises even without being fully aware of it.
The Imperfect Perfectionist
Scripture plainly tells us:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves..." 1 John 1:8
"There is no one righteous, not even one..." Romans 3:10
Fact remains, no matter how hard we try, we will never be perfect.
Perfectionism has been linked to so many troubling emotional and physical issues. Most commonly, it has
been associated with
anxiety,
panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder,
depression, as well as,
drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and
ulcerative colitis.
It is one thing to want to do our best in all we do, but Christian perfectionism can become
such a huge problem that it can make you sick.
The Lies We Believe
So why do so many Christians still struggle with perfectionism?
Perfectionism is a bad habit of thinking that's adopted when we believe that anything other
than perfect is acceptable.
Habits of self-talk may sound something like this:
It's not good enough, I need to work harder.
I have to do everything in my power to make sure nothing can go wrong.
I cannot make any mistakes or I will not feel good about myself.
I have to be perfect in order to be good enough.
Christian perfectionists believe that although grace is a free gift of God, they somehow
have to work extra hard at being and doing.
They literally (and many times without being aware of it)
believe that they must work hard enough to be deserving of this gift
of grace.
What does this mean to a Christian? It means that Christian perfectionists work hard to
earn their salvation, which is completely contrary to Scripture.
They become so focused on themselves to the point that grace no
longer holds it's true, intended value which is complete freedom in
Christ!
Let us remember, grace is that free gift that Christ has given to all that accept it.
Ephesians 2:8,9 says "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."
Romans 10:13 reminds us that, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Freedom from Perfectionism
"Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith." Galations 3:11
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
It's important to realize that YOUR BEST is GOOD ENOUGH and acceptable to God. God's grace is sufficient for all.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Perfection is only found in God. God knows our hearts and He knows our desires to do things perfectly,
but it's important to realize that when we fall short, He wants us to rely on His strength (and perfection of grace)
to carry us through.
Sometimes it's absolutely necessary to stop looking in the mirror and to start looking above to God for His amazing grace to
cover all of our imperfections.
It is a heavy load to carry when you think you always need to be perfect in everything you do. The pressure can be so overwhelming
when you are solely relying upon yourself. Freedom means learning to "let go and let God". It means to do whatever
you can to the
best of your ability, to use the gifts that God has given you and to leave the rest up to Him. God is amazing! He has the ability to
make up for our imperfections. In fact, many times, God is glorified in almost ALL of them!
Romans 8:28 says that we are more than conquerors! "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..."
This means that God even uses the mistakes we make and works them out for our good.
For additional information visit this article on
perfectionism.
Check out The Mind and Body Shop for additional book recommendations.
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