When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2,17
First of all, perfectionism is a bondage.
It doesn't need to add the word „unnatural“, because a bondage is NEVER natural.
It forces to do something, we would never do by our natural and free will do.
That must be consequental, if not it wouldn't be a bondage.
But, perfectionism is so much more than that. It has many faces.
Perfectionism is:
Wanting to controll everything
Want determine the time yourself
Leaving God out of it
Do not let a process develop
Preventing smaller or larger stage victories
Wanting to impose your own image of the ideal on everyone and everything
Leave no room for anything else new and creative as a gift
Patience has given way to high expectations
Perfectionism hinders us to go foward in a speed which would perfectly fit for us and our spiritual grow. It overwhelmes and knows no grace.
As soon as perfectionism and high expectation has rolled over you like a train, deception comes with it. Because, from your own strengh you would never be able to sufficent.
At the end, it isolates.
Nothing and nobody is enough anymore. Everything has to be done by yourself, only that way it would be more or less what perfectionism asks from you.
It's weight is heavier than a solid rock.
These work which you charge yourself brings you weakness.
Only one will never be shaken.
That's Jesus. No other who walked as man (and as God) over this earth, has been and would ever be such perfect as he was.
However, as he called us, he did call us as disciples.
Disciples are trainees.
Trainees are meant to learn from the failures they have made.
If we really expect to be perfect, we claim to be as perfect as Jesus. That way we liftourself up on the same level as God.
We all know where this leads.
And yet he wants to bless us with all kinds of gifts.
Among them also with experience. And the experiences also include a wide range of emotions. This opens up a new field of learning: Dealing with these emotions.
I would say, to learn how to deal with all these emotions is the biggest challenge for me personally, in the whole process to leave perfectionism.
In realtion to the perfectionism we frame ourself strenghtly to our own little & limited possibilities, insteed to trust on the limitless and magnificent possibilities of God.
It's even impossible to trust in something or someone else. This would mean a lost of controll and thats not acceptable. Little side note here, controll-addiction and perfectionism are quite close.
Let me illustrate this, so it helps you to imagine how it realtes with our own limited possibilities and Gods limitless and wonderfull possibilities:
Imagine, it is a hot sommer sunny day and you transpire. Your clothes and hairs are stick to your body.
Public swimming pool, with its cool water in the pool would be realy close to your house. But you would have to leave your confort zone, meaning your appartement, to go for swimming.
Regarding the swimming pool outside of your confort zone, you don't even think to go there. So you think ist enough to have found luke warm water somewhere in your appartement and you try to refresh yourself with your hand and this luke warm water.
If ever someone asks you, if you don't prefere to go for public swimming pool, because there is almost endless really cool water, you say no and wave out. That would never be an option. You have something here that will at least give you some relief.
Explaind on a practical way: I love To Do List!
I love to create them and to mark completed one after another, as soon as the job is done.
There is nothing wrong with my lists- At least it helps me to keep an overview and my chaotic days organized.
So, for what reason should I listen to the perfectionism who tells me I sould be able to organize myself without To Do Lists?
Every mark complet or strike a To Do Point is like a little vitory. And thats exactly what perfectionism wants to steal.
It is also an underhanded restriction to finally start using your potential and be able to walk in your calling.
God didn't call us to be perfect.
As he said he want to change us that we might leave our old sinfull life, he didn't meant that we would be perfect after this.
Not at all. He meant that we would endure a lifetime process of change.
I'm not saying that we have so many issues in our lives that we can't deal with them at all. What I am saying is that once we have dealt with one issue, the next one will follow.
The learning process in life is like a giant cogwheel and God is the watchmaker.
He knows the big cogs, the ones you could literally recognize from space. But he also knows the smallest screw, which can only be recognized with a special watchmaker's magnifying glass.
Some may now say that it is incredibly exhausting to work on yourself over and over again. That may be the case. On the other hand, however, it also means constant small victories and steadily growing trust in the God who never lets us down. He confirms this several times in the Bible.
And who would say no to lots of little celebrations of success?
So, what are you waiting for?
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried:
he is a buckler to all thoes who trust in him.
Psalm 18, 30
