LEARNING TO LIVE ABOVE ANXIETY (Part 2)

Perfectionism

Healthy perfectionism inspires you to push yourself to your maximum potential. However, suppose the voice inside of you is constantly overly critical of yourself and others. In that case, you may be living with unhealthy perfectionism. Read on.

We, perfectionists, are far from perfect, but we want to be. As a perfectionist, I’ve lived most of my life with unhealthy perfectionism. What I eventually became was overly-anxious and highly annoying!

There is never an end to unhealthy perfectionism. We live in exhaustion from trying over and over to get things better. This post will not attempt to explain the psychology behind our perfectionism. Instead, we are going directly to the Bible for our cure!

Destroying The Idol of Perfectionism

Here are five verses to help you embrace your imperfections and stop worshipping the self-destructive “Idol of Perfectionism.”

Be Honest  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1John 1:8 ESV)

Be Spirit-led  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[a] the flesh? (Galatians 3:3, ESV)

Be Merciful  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great… Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Be Peaceful  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah26:3)

Be Humble   And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 15:15, ESV)

Be Non-judgemental  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

Be Christ-like  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:3-8)

Discovering Healing and Peace

Jesus Christ is the only perfect person because he is the only person to live without sin. However, God created us with imperfections. By embracing our weaknesses, we learn to love our imperfect selves. As a result, we give our best to everything and everyone with integrity. We also maintain our peacefulness. 

Here are three suggestions for staying on your road to peace.

• Admit the truth.  If you have read this far, you or someone you care about is likely struggling with unhealthy perfectionism. Admitting the truth followed by asking for God’s help is the crucial first step to deliverance.
• Start each day with meditation. Pray and allow yourself a few minutes of quietness to experience God’s peace. Practice some deep breathing exercises to help you feel less anxious.
• Practice one or more of the above scriptures each day. God’s word must indeed be read and believed. Most of all, to obtain the benefit, we must practice what the scripture says.

God bless you as you learn to live above anxiety. Thank you for your comments and encouraging emails. We love hearing from you, and your input helps us to grow.

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