Breaking News! We are not forsaken.
Spring really is coming!
As far north as Massachusetts, daffodils have been seen poking up through the soil and snow – and we have to love them. They are the flowers that never wait for everything to be perfect before they take action. Their motto seems to be: If you don’t do it, you’ll never know what would have happened if you had done it.
I have some friends who are like daffodils. They are flexible, spontaneous, adventurous and fun to be with. They have not been paralyzed by the terribly damaging myth that perfection is something to constantly strive for and are not continually comparing, measuring, criticizing and analyzing themselves. They will draw a heart on the surface of a dusty end table, order the molten lava chocolate dessert when they go out to lunch and enjoy riding home in the car with the top down. They know how to give themselves permission to do more of what makes them happy.
Psychiatrist Mel Schwartz puts it this way: “The closest thing to perfection is in the ability to be fully present. Without any distracting thoughts measuring or grading ourselves, we’re free to really be in the moment. It’s in that moment that we’re truly alive.” http://melschwartz.com/blog/ A Shift of Mind
I struggle with perfectionism from time-to-time. Once I put things in some semblance of order, I can become really up-tight should they get messed up again. I also tend to have difficulty moving from one activity to the next and often find myself running behind because it is hard for me to say, “done” and hit the “send” button.
What helps me overcome my tendency toward perfectionism is to remember that in God’s eyes I am already perfect. There is nothing I can do that will make Him love me more or make Him love me less. On the day I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my sins and imperfections were forgiven – past, present and future. I was made perfect by Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross.
“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone…” Hebrews 10:4
Though we cannot live an “anything goes” kind of life, we can take a cue from the daffodils and live life more fully without waiting for everything to be perfect first.
Give yourself a break and dare to be a daffodil!
Send me your tips for beating the problem of perfectionism.
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