When did perfection become such a bad thing?
We use the term “perfectionist” like a pejorative. A perfectionist is someone who pays too much attention to details and can’t see the forest for the trees. A perfectionist is someone who wastes time trying to improve upon something that is already good enough. A perfectionist is someone with laughably high standards who needs to come back down to earth.
Perfectionism isn’t always a great thing, especially when “good enough” is indeed good enough. In regards to blogging, Jon Acuff once wrote that 80% and published is better than 100% and unpublished. I’ve published 1,400 posts on The Christian Nerd; if I set absolute perfection as the standard then I don’t know if I would have even published 14 posts. So perfection may not be ideal for blogging, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for it in other areas.
Jesus himself seemed to be a big proponent of perfection. In Matthew 5:48 he tells those listening that they should be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect. That’s pretty much the highest standard possible: be as perfect as your God who has no imperfections.
Jesus knows full well that’s a standard we can’t meet this side of eternity, but it’s the standard nonetheless. By discounting perfection in other areas of life, it also impacts our desire for perfection with Jesus. We see perfection as too lofty of an ideal so why should we even try?
We should try because that’s the standard that Jesus set. And trying for perfection doesn’t mean gritting our teeth and living our lives simply to avoid sin. It also doesn’t mean seeking perfection under our own strength and beating ourselves up when we fail. Seeking perfection means partnering with the Holy Spirit and allowing him to work in our lives. It means striving for perfection, but resting in God’s grace when we fail.
If we don’t aim for perfection, then we’ll miss every time. If we do aim for perfection, though, then we might actually hit it once in a while. And then, once Jesus returns, we may be closer to perfection than we would have been.
How do you respond to Jesus’ call for perfection?
Leave a Comment