I have a confession to make. I am a closet perfectionist. OK, maybe not even a closet one but a full-blown perfectionist. Couple that trait along with my tendencies to be a people-pleaser and you have a recipe for lots of anxiety. One of those characteristics alone can cause lots of stress, but when I put them together, lookout. I needed help with overcoming perfectionism. Working to correct these flaws took years of prayer along with trail and error.
My family is usually the ones that suffer the most when I let my expectations control the situation. I learned that perfection is not attainable. We deceive ourselves into thinking that if we just try harder, we will obtain the perfect life or make an event flawless. In all of the world’s history, there has only been one perfect person, Jesus Christ. And, He can help us with overcoming perfectionism.
Failure
These tendencies towards wanting everything to be perfect show up while I make arrangement for a mission trip. I enjoy searching for the best deals on flights and the best routes. I love to plan. Unfortunately, when I plan a trip, I begin to imagine all the details coming together. I form a picture in my mind of how everything will turn out during the trip. Unfortunately, things go wrong when traveling. Flights get delayed, people get sick, luggage gets lost and a million other things that go wrong during travel. My reactions hurt God’s message for those with us.
[bctt tweet=”The God I serve is the perfect one, and I can trust Him to work out all the details..”]
I remember one trip in particular. It was one of the trips to Kenya. The team was about to purchase the tickets. We were about six weeks out from our departure date when we received the news of a terrorist incident at the Mombassa airport. Then came the news which announced all airlines had canceled their flights into Kenya for the foreseeable future. Mrs. Perfection went into overdrive, trying to figure out what to do. The team gathered at church to pray for God’s direction in the situation. My temples throbbed as I wrung my hands during the meeting. I tried to figure out a solution.
God to the Rescue
I could not fix this problem. But, God quickly provided an option for us. Our help came in the form of a church needing a daycare center built in Argentina. The dates and cost for this new trip remained the same. God answered the team’s prayers. We even had more people join the team for this new adventure. God knew where the work needed to be done, and that was more important than my need to control the situation. God taught me a lot during the new journey. He showed me that His ways are perfect, but mine are not. Slowly, I learn to rely on Him and not on my methods. God even provided a verse to remind me of my new lesson.
Proverbs 16:9 ” In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.”
I try to recall this verse anytime I feel myself battling for control of a situation. God ways are better for everything in our lives. My old habits still surface occasionally, but I am learning, and I continue to seek God to help me. He is teaching me about overcoming perfectionism through His Grace which is new every morning, and He never gives up on me. The God I serve is the perfect one, and I can trust Him to work out all the details.
Blessings,
Yvonne – #blogger, #speaker, and #author
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, go to help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc
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