The Perfectionist's Dilemma: Striving for Greatness, Battling Failure
GCD Newsletter - Monday, May 22nd, 2023
My son is a perfectionist, which often causes him to work hard and achieve great things. He loves baseball and strives to get better each year. However, our greatest strength is often also our greatest weakness. The same perfectionism that pushes him to excel can also discourage and paralyze him when he fails.
As a dad, I love celebrating his victories with him. It’s fun to watch him make a great play or hit the game-winning run, and we enjoy celebrating together. However, in baseball and in life, we often fall short. He won’t always hit the game-winning run, but will strike out when the game is on the line. While failures don’t cause the same jubilation as the victories, I try to encourage him that he’s still loved and that mistakes are part of the game.
But, I know the perfectionist in him struggles in these moments. I hope years of love and affirmation, even when he falls short, will stay with him even into adulthood. I want him to see that his worth isn’t based on his accomplishments, and even our failures are opportunities to grow and mature.
Many of us are prone to be too hard on ourselves. As one song states, “Broken legs, but I chase perfection.” We demand a perfection from ourselves that we will never achieve. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father stands ready to love and receive us, and his love for us is never based on our merit. But, like my son, it can often be hard for us to accept.
May last week’s articles remind us we are God’s children and we are not strong on our own. God lovingly and patiently continues his work in us as individuals and as a community of people called out by his grace.
In Christ,
James Williams serves as associate pastor at FBC Atlanta, TX. James and his wife, Jenny, are blessed with four children and are actively involved in foster care. He is passionate about beholding the beauty of our Lord and helping others do the same. He enjoys writing, running, and gardening. You can follow James Twitter or his blog where he writes regularly.
Last Week at GCDiscipleship.com
Discipleship Should Create A Mature Community by Brandon Cooper
“It seems clear that God’s vision for the church is one of corporate maturity, in which the entire assembly grows in holiness together for the sake of his Name. The communal telos—the common purpose—is as clear as a team’s common championship dreams.”
We’re Not Just Christians – We’re Children Too by Ashley Anthony
“Spiritual adoption flows out of settled forgiveness and rests on our status as forgiven ones. Like the prodigal son, we’ve approached our Father’s house with sin-stained clothes and empty hands, having squandered the good gifts that he’s given us. It’s as if we’ve asked for simple forgiveness, even just a taste of God’s mercy, but instead, God throws open the doors of heaven, rushes out to greet us, and welcomes us in with open arms.”
Strong Truth For Weak Mamas by Lacey Stevenson
“And yet, God writes a better story. He is making all things new. Whether your infant is going through a sleep regression, your toddler won’t eat anything except strawberries, or your teenager remains adamant about more cell phone usage, God doesn’t waste any of these trials. Your pains in motherhood are drenched with purpose.”