PERSONAL WALK

The Folly of Perfectionism

 

Recently, my granddaughter ran into my room exclaiming, “Omigosh, I forgot to number the pages in my manuscript.  Now I have to number them by hand.  Do you think it will look terrible?”In her 15-year-old world this was an error of epic proportions even though this draft of her “novel” was only going to a friend to be critiqued and edited.

 

I smiled to myself as I reassured her that no one expected perfection on this copy.  I was amused because this situation brought to mind the many times I have tried to be perfect, only to realize later that some small glitch had escaped my scrutiny.  What agony! Many of the women I spend time with have the same unforgiving inner monitors constantly reminding them of their flaws, shortcomings and weaknesses.  Our angst is caused in part by the ruthless expectations we have of ourselves. How hard it is for us to accept ourselves the way we are.  And we are often surrounded by people who reinforce the “You’re not perfect” mantra already resounding in our ears.

 

What does God think of all this self-flagellation? I reminded myself as I reassured my granddaughter.  Psalm 103 gives us a hint of God’s view of us.

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always  accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed  our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (NIV)

Dust!  How foolish we can be.  We are not a "do-it-yourself" project -- we are dust in the hands of the Master Craftsman.  He remembers.  If we remember we will save ourselves great anguish.  Let us allow ourselves to be crafted as the Creator desires without requiring perfection of ourselves.