God Doesn’t Require Us To Be Perfect

I started the day feeling strong. I had all my healthy meals prepped and I was resolved to stick to my healthy eating plan. As the day progressed, temptations, stress, and emotions began to get the best of me, and all of a sudden, I was eating a donut! After that regretful decision, I threw in the towel and thought I might as well have a cookie too! My healthy meal plan for the day spiraled down from there as I mentally beat myself up for my lack of self-control.

We often have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to healthy eating or to any new healthy discipline we are trying to incorporate. When we aim for perfection, we end up letting one small slip up discourage us, leading to more unhealthy decisions.

The same thing can be said for our quiet time with the Lord each day. Have you ever overslept and missed your morning quiet time or let your busy schedule get in the way of time with the Lord? I know I have! When this happens, one missed opportunity to spend time in God’s Word turns into another, and before I know it, I find myself discouraged and disconnected from God.

The good news is that God doesn’t require us to be perfect. We can be thrown off by verses like Matthew 5:48: “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But if we dig deeper, we learn that the Greek word used in this verse, teleios, can mean perfect, but is more often used to refer to maturity or wholeness. God is not calling us to perfection, but to be well-rounded, whole, and mature in our faith. In fact, while God is always in the process of growing us, this side of heaven, none of us will ever be perfect.

When we think that our diets, exercise regimens, or daily quiet time with God has to fit into a perfect mold, we set ourselves up for failure and end up letting small slip ups lead to bigger problems. If I keep throwing in the towel anytime I eat something unhealthy, it shows in my outward appearance as I begin to put on weight. If I continue to neglect my quiet time with God, it shows in my life as I begin to carry the weight that Jesus wants to carry for me.

These little stumbles in our diets and in our schedules don’t have to derail all our plans for a well-balanced day. Instead of holding on to the misconception of perfection, maybe it’s time we extend ourselves some grace.

When we are mature and complete in Christ, we can release ourselves from the need to do things perfectly. One donut is not a healthy food choice, but it won’t ruin my diet altogether if I get right back on track with my healthy eating, just as oversleeping in the morning won’t negate my time with the Lord later in the day.

Perfection is the enemy of growth. Instead of striving to be perfect, maybe we should strive for balance, contentment, and little bit of progress each day.

Reflection

How do you feel when you lose self-control and make an unhealthy eating decision? Does one mistake cause you to give up on your daily health goals?
What are some ways that you can overcome negative self-talk when you are discouraged by imperfections?
How can you begin to give yourself more grace instead of striving for perfection?

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(Matthew 5:48 NIV)

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.

(James 1:4 NIV)