The Face of Perfection
Matthew 23:23,24 It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things. You guide the people, but you are blind! Think about a man picking a little fly out of his drink and then swallowing a camel! You are like that.
To a greater or lesser extent we each have a plan for how things should go. What’s good, what makes sense, what’s perfect. But some of us … well, some of us can take that a bit too far. Way too far.
I have a confession to make. My natural disposition is to be a perfectionist. Now, that’s something of a double-edged sword. It’s great to set high standards and strive to achieve things – that’s a good thing – but perfectionists can be a real pain in the neck because they impose their view of what’s perfect on everybody else. They become enforcers of what they think is right. My favourite saying used to be, “It’s so hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys”.
You don’t build relationships with that sort of an attitude. You don’t build teams. You don’t tap into the creativity and genius of other people to achieve things that you could never have achieved on your own – in fact, quite the opposite.
Perfectionists can become so focussed on “getting it right”, getting everything right 100% of the time, that they completely miss the point.
Matthew 23:23,24 It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things. You guide the people, but you are blind! Think about a man picking a little fly out of his drink and then swallowing a camel! You are like that.
Perfectionism … it doesn’t work. Being fair, showing mercy and being faithful do. These are the things you should do.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Fiona Corrigan
Really appreciate the devotion. Thankyou. Very thought provoking 😀
Really appreciate the devotion. Thankyou. Very thought provoking 😀
Mark Deegan
Thanks Mr Dymet
That made me look at myself differently.
Thanks Mr Dymet
That made me look at myself differently.
Berni Dymet
Julie, from one recovering perfectionist to another that warms my heart. Thank you for sharing your story. There’s a ...
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Julie, from one recovering perfectionist to another that warms my heart. Thank you for sharing your story. There’s a fine line between perfectionism and being a pain in the backside and yes, it is so serious that relationships can be trashed over the littlest things. Richest blessings to you. Berni
Julie Camilleri
Hi Berni, Thank you so much for the kick in the pants. I’ve always liked to have things just right. Even as a ...
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Hi Berni,
Thank you so much for the kick in the pants. I’ve always liked to have things just right. Even as a child I hated anyone touching my things because they were often not put back the way I liked them.
I remember being a divorced Mum, working full time, raising 2 children & would often “lose my cool” because the children hadn’t done their chores right, to my way of thinking. I always encouraged honest family discussions & one day my children sat me down & pointed out to me that they could not do a thing right by me, because whatever they did was wrong as I would always criticize their efforts. My children told me they wanted to live with my Mum because she accepted them as they are. That day I learnt a lesson. We are not all the same. Perfection is not a way of life for all. Accept & appreciate the efforts made by those wired differently than you because they are children of God too. I could have lost my children that day purely by my own attitudes but instead I turned myself around & life at home, whilst not 100% perfect in looks, it was 100% perfect as a family.
My children are grown up & have children of their own now. Are their houses up to my standard of tidyness? Oh heck no. But they have grown into lovely people & their houses are full of love, kindness, honesty & respect. What more could any mother want?
I still am a perfectionist & often drive my now husband insane with it but I’m more relaxed in my expectations now. Although sometimes, just sometimes ………