Every year the Indiana Baptist State Convention has a women's conference and I have been asked to lead a conference this year entitled "
Battling The Pressure To Be Perfect"!! Yikes!! It has been so hard to do this because .... of course....I want it to be PERFECT!!! In fact, I was to have the handouts ready over a week ago...but I could not get them turned in....because they were not PERFECT!!! Talk about exhausting!!!
It seems like most high-achieving women struggle with this issue....we are pushed and pulled in every direction trying to be perfect. We want to be the perfect...
- Wife
- Pastor's wife
- Parent
- Employee
- Daughter
- Friend
- Other______ You fill in the blank!
...and it is exhausting!!
Do you battle the pressure to:
- Be the perfect housekeeper? Have your home always clean and picked up? Free from clutter and toys? Clothes ironed and put away?
- Have perfectly behaved children?
- Do all and be all at church?
- Wear nice clothes?
- Be thin?
- Always have make-up on?
- _______ You fill in the blank
Who puts this pressure on you?
- Yourself?
- Your husband?
- Your mother?
- Satan?
- _______ You fill in the blank
The amazing thing is that God NEVER expects us to be perfect. Matthew 5:48 says "
Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The word "perfect" here does not mean without flaws or without error or perfection. It means "mature". We are to be mature and do things with excellence. Satan wants to keep us from pursuing excellence and maturity by keeping us distracted with perfection....remember Martha?? She was distracted with making sure everything was "perfect" that she missed out on becoming mature!
My friend....I really would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this.
- Do you battle the pressure to be perfect?
- What areas in your life do you want to be perfect?
- Where does the pressure to be perfect come from?
2 comments:
The pressure to be perfect comes form within and that is my worst enemy...
I so needed this today. Pressure (either put on you by yourself, or by others) is definitely one of the harder aspects of ministry life. I have been to 2 church services and 1 Wednesday night this month, due to being sick myself and sick children. I feel the pressure to keep the house spotless, meals ready when my husband gets home, always look put together, etc.
By the time I get to be back in church, it's going to be my month for children's church - so I won't be in the Sunday morning service till March! AHHH!
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