Do you ever feel weighed down by life’s demands for you personally? I have the problem of always feeling there isn’t enough time in the day. There seems to never be enough time to make sure the children’s needs are met. Or my husbands, or the housework. The list is endless. And to me, I somehow think if I can’t get everything done, then this is a reflection of who I am…and I’m a perfectionist at heart.
Letting Go of Perfect
Being a perfectionist can be good (and also bad) depending on where you find and decide where your value comes from.
Do you find your value coming from the possibility of crossing everything off your list? What if you don’t get anything on your done? Do you give yourself grace?
I remember a prayer that one of my parents gave when I was a child. They prayed that we could “do all the things that Thou (God) would have us do.” I struggled with this prayer primarily because in Matthew 5:48 Christ tells his disciples,
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
I thought, are you kidding me!? I have to be perfect all the time, get all the things that I want to be done, and now get all the things God wants to be done.
My candle was burning out at both ends. I became overwhelmed, anxious, and constantly tired. Throughout my teenage and young adult years I came across a talk by President Russell M. Nelson in my personal study. He relates a personal experience in relation to his scripture study of Matthew 5:48:
“The term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means “complete.” Teleios is an adjective derived from the noun telos, which means “end.”
The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means
to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, or to finish.”
Please note that the word does not imply “freedom from error”; it implies “achieving a distant objective.” “
Weight lifted off my shoulders when I read this. I didn’t have to be perfect in the sense as I understood it to be (being without error). Christ doesn’t expect you or I to be “perfect” in the sense of never making a mistake in our lives.
All Christ asks of us is to do our best, come to Him so we can be molded and developed by Him. This is a life long process!
There are things we can do our best to be perfect in such as paying our tithes, personal prayers every morning and night, reading the scriptures with our children. The rest the Lord will help us as we draw closer to him.
Being perfected by Him will take our entire lifetime, but rest assured, you’re in great company. If you’re willing to pay the price, He can make so much more out of you than your fondest dreams.
Letting Go of Perfect.
Let go and give yourself permission to partake of the Savior’s grace. He suffered for you and knows your deepest and most tender heart feelings.
It’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to seek forgiveness and heavenly help. We all need it in our lives. Remember that the Lord loves you and desires greatly for you to return to live in His presence after your mortal journey.
All we can do is our best. His grace takes care of the rest.
Micah Klug is a wife, homeschooling mother to five children, and author. She teaches time-tested solutions to help parents remember what matters most in life, including strengthening their home, faith, and family relationships. To learn how a child who grew up in an authoritarian home is now creating an environment of peace and joy in her own home visit this page. If you want to contact Micah, send her an email here or email [email protected].
