Friday, September 23, 2022

The Strain of Perfection

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This one right here is sure to be a great one!!! 😊

 

I don’t know about in your world however in mine, there is a lot going on. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, there is so much to do, and it seems there is never enough time to get it all done. This morning I want you to take a deep breath, get a cup of coffee or tea, let the weight of the world fall away for a few minutes, and I just want to remind us all of a few things…

 

Matthew 11:28-30 tells us:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

This is Jesus talking to us. It is summarized well at gotquestions.org when it says, “The good news is that Jesus promises to all who come to Him that He will give them rest from the heavy burden of trying to earn our way into heaven and rest from the oppressive yoke of self-righteousness and legalism. Jesus encourages those who are “heavy laden” to take His yoke upon them, and in so doing they will find rest for their souls. The yoke of Jesus is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow Him.” You can read the entire article at https://www.gotquestions.org/yoke-easy-burden-light.html.

 

If you are caught up in trying to do enough, be enough, accomplish enough…I pray the sweet words of Jesus will wash over your mind, heart, and Spirit.

 

Matthew 22:37-40 tells us:

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

Yes, I am pretty sure I just shared this in a recent Happy Friday…don’t care! 😊 I remind myself of this Biblical truth all the time. Don’t know what to do – love God and love people. Feeling the weight of the world – love God and love people. Overwhelmed – love God and love people. Scared – love God and love people. I think you get the point; no matter what, love God and love people. I have found that when I focus on doing that, everything else takes care of itself.

 

My final reminder this week is another excerpt from The Glorious Pursuit: Becoming Who God Created Us to Be by Gary Thomas. It told you all it is a great book!

“The second truth is recognizing that the virtues area something I practice, not something I become. I’ll never be completely humble, but I can practice humility. I will never corner the market on generosity, but I can practice being generous. Understanding this has removed me from the strain of perfectionism that so marked my early life in Christ. It has allowed me to have more of a God-centered faith. Jesus calls me to respond to Him and to leave the results in His hands.”

 

O.K., let me help our curious Friends out: the first truth was “real change is possible.” Come on now, focus! 😊

 

When I read those words, a great peace fell over my Spirit. The strain of perfectionism…I can so relate! But we aren’t called to perfection, we are called to…are you really going to make me say it?!?! Love God and love people!!! And as we respond to the promptings of the Spirit, as we work as though we are working for “the Lord, not human masters,” (Colossians 3:23) we can boldly, confidently, and with great faith leave the results in His hands.

 

I sincerely hope these three little reminders have been half as meaningful to you as they have been to me!

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!

 

Kev

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