Perfectionist and trying not to be




This year I was part of the committee to create and direct the Christmas Program with our Sunday School students at church.

Drama and skits was not a “thing” for anyone on our committee, and so we focused more on music and scripture readings. Even at that, it still felt like quite the production and my easily stressed personality tried it’s best to take it in stride.


Tried being the key word.

The Program came, and it went. And no surprise, it all turned out fine.

And now that it is done, and that responsibility if off my mind, I feel like I can finally get into the Christmas Spirit.

How sad.

How sad that my cheer can be so easily offset by responsibilities, to do lists, and expectations.

I know there are other recovering perfectionists out there. How do you deal?

How do you set aside expectations you set on yourself? How do you deal when you fall short of what you had in your mind?


In this striving to NOT keep up with the Joneses, what do I do about the Joneses that I've created in my own mind?

I don't have the complete answer, and I would love to find that magic bullet that could just take care of this struggle for me.

But I did have the thought while I was ruminating in the car today, driving between work and school pick-up, the car was quiet and I could be with my thoughts.

Truth.

When our fears, our failures, our deflated expectations stare us in the face, threatening to kill our joy, we can fight it with Truth.

Truth that nothing of ourselves will ever be good enough. Tough pill for a perfectionist to swallow, I know.  But truly, it can be freeing. Because the only good in me is Jesus.

Which means I can stop trying so hard. I can stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Because, well, the only good thing in the Joneses is Jesus, too.

I know this may not be a popular belief, and I know there are some that may disagree. That's OK. I'm open for dialogue. Because my Jesus loves everyone.  Every one.  He knows every single one of us is not good. But he loves each of us anyway.

Now, I know that Truth.  The daily struggle is to shut down the lies the try to invade and tell me otherwise. The best way to fight it is to start every morning with the Truth. And then, step out the door, wave to my neighbors, the Joneses, and smile, knowing they are only good because of Jesus too.


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