Perfectionism

“I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.” (Galatians 1:10 NLT)

I have several bad habits; perfectionism is one of them. I tend to avoid things that I can’t do well. I’m trying to get over this. Over the last few years, I’ve intentionally set forth on several new ventures where I expose my weaknesses.

I started running long distances. As a slow, middle-aged woman with a weak bladder, this has not been easy for me.  I’ve had to get over several hang-ups. I was raised to always look presentable--but now I run without makeup and come back smelly and sweaty. I was afraid of driving in the dark, but now I drive out before sunrise to meet my early morning, running group. I definitely don’t like being the weakest member of any group, but I have had to accept that most runners are faster than me.

I used to be hesitant to speak up about my faith; I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it perfectly. Even after I started blogging about spiritual matters, I was afraid that my interpretations were incorrect, and that I may be misrepresenting Christ. I realize that my perfectionism stems from my distaste for disapproval. If I am committed to serve Christ, I can no longer be concerned about pleasing people. For God did not give me a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and sound judgment.