It's Not About Our Perfection, But It's All About His

In the midst of discussion that happened some time ago between me and my wife, she pointed something out that she saw as a weakness in me. Let's just say I didn't take it all that well. I felt a bit attacked and defensive. Thank God that the Holy Spirit helped to comfort me so that I was able to give her a kiss goodnight and go to sleep.The next morning, however, the Holy Spirit woke me up very early.  He called me out in to the living room to talk. As I was expressing my hurt from the conversation with my wife the night before, the Holy Spirit said very plainly said to me, "Brian, what she said was true." I stopped for a second as I prepared to get defensive with the creator of the universe, when He stopped me in my tracks again. Holy Spirit said, "It's okay."

Blessed, Not Perfected

As I processed this interaction throughout the rest of the day, the Holy Spirit guided me to a simple conclusion. That conclusion is that it is okay to have problems. Some of you might be reading this and going, "Yeah, duh!" But for all of my fellow perfectionists out there, you know that this is not so obvious. I don't know about anyone else reading this, but personally I have the tendency to make my walk with God all about my perfection.  But in reality it's meant to be all about His perfection.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

What's Your Focus?

If we are constantly focusing on our perfection, then we are not doing anything but living from a place of religion. We don't have to look very far too see just how ineffective religion is at actually transforming people. When we shift our focus from our perfection to Jesus' perfection, His grace transforms us from the inside out. When we can admit that we have problems, we are putting our pride aside and focusing on His perfection. If we refuse to admit that we have a problem, then we are simply focused on attaining our own perfection through our own strength and effort.

Related Post: Losing Focus and Losing Sight

So this brings me back to when Holy Spirit said to me, "It's okay." For the longest time I have battled with this idea that because I am saved, it's not okay for me to have problems. As if because I am saved, I am supposed to have it all figured out. That is just so twisted! In reality, being saved is a complete acknowledgment that I don't have it all figured out, but God does! When I refuse to embrace my weaknesses and allow His grace to go to work, it's as if I am saying that I would rather try to work through them in my own.  My own limited strength instead of with His unlimited power.

Being Perfect isn't the Goal

Please understand that I am not suggesting that we just get comfortable in our weaknesses. Nor to allow them to control us. On the contrary, I am suggesting that we yield to the only power that can truly overcome them. Are you struggling with fear? Stop trying so hard to muster up courage and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with it. Are you struggling with an addiction? What if I say the only true freedom from that addiction is found in God's grace and not in your own will power.Do you struggle with being a perfectionist? Then yield to the truth in His word that you don't have to be and let His freedom take over. When we just submit and acknowledge our imperfections, we finally allow the perfect one inside of us to take over.  It's not about our perfection, but it is all about His.