Bible Study & Devotional
Guiding Scripture: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)
🔴 Breaking the Curse of Perfectionism
Hello, my name is Lisa, and I am a recovering perfectionist.
I have a vivid memory of being the last child in my kindergarten class to finish a drawing. I kept coloring long after everyone else had finished, to the point where my teacher had to tell me to stop so we could move on to another activity, and when she did, I promptly burst into tears. Why? Because my drawing wasn’t right. It wasn’t perfect.
It was all downhill from there.
I became the girl who always got straight A’s in school, participated in multiple extracurricular activities, and wasn’t satisfied unless I came home from every competition with a trophy. It wasn’t enough for me to do well at something; I had to be the best. I had to be perfect. Then I would finally feel like I was good enough like I was worthy. It was a pattern of thinking that followed me throughout my childhood and well into adulthood.
Does this story sound familiar to you? I’ll bet it does.
The problem with perfectionism is that it contradicts the Word of God. Based on the faulty premise, we can earn God’s approval if we just work hard enough. If we just do everything right, surely God will see that we’re “good enough” and let us into heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Bible is very clear about how we fall short when compared to God’s standard of holiness: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23, NLT). And no matter what we do or how hard we try, we can’t bridge that gap alone. In fact, Isaiah 64:6 says, “When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”
So, what are we to do?
Fortunately, God has already done the work of redeeming us through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. As 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (NIV) In other words, we don’t have to prove ourselves to our Heavenly Father. He doesn’t care about our accomplishments or our accolades. We don’t have to earn His love or acceptance; we already have it. We’ve had it from the moment that Jesus exchanged our unrighteousness for His righteousness when He died and rose from the dead three days later.
I spent many years chasing perfection, even as a Christian, because I didn’t understand that God had given me something better. He had made me righteous. It wasn’t until I understood and embraced that truth that I finally became free from the curse of perfectionism.
I challenge you to let Him do the same for you today. You won’t regret it.
~Lisa C. Gant
LISA C. GANT: CEO & Founder of Purpose Without Apology, the Podcast. Tune in for weekly podcasts and connect with Lisa on Instagram. Visit www.lisacgant.com for more information.
This devotional was submitted by Lisa C. Gant, a loving contributor to Our Given Purpose. Edited by Torrie Slaughter the founder of Our Given Purpose® in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
🔴 The Bible In A Year Daily Reading Plan
Genesis 35:1-36:43, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 15:1-5, Proverbs 3:21-26
Download or Print the One Year Bible Reading Plan
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Bible in a Year Day 17:
I am the product of the country church. You know the ones that start at 8:00AM for a light breakfast and Sunday school, then corporate worship followed with lunch and evening service. It was a destination on Sunday, a place to be where God was. The command: “Stay right there, Pastor came to mind.” When we listen or read, there is a point of tension that God may want us to work out. Today Genesis 35:18-19 sent that message.
Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem) is the territory of the tribe of Judah. Rachel is buried there after giving birth to her son Benjamin. Jacob changed Ben-oni (son of my sorrow) to Benjamin (a right-hand man). WOW! So many ways to meditate and gain an understanding of the character of God. His grace and mercy are everlasting.
To date, we have read 36 chapters of Genesis and follow Noah’s line as we travel through. These were not perfect people, and they made countless mistakes. Yet, the Lord was faithful to His promise to increase their descendants and abundantly bless their offspring. Trickery, deception, fear, and pride were the prevailing emotions of our ancient ancestors. We still endure them today. The difference and the tension of Gen. 35:18-19 was the dying wish. Rachel, on her death bed, named her son Ben-Oni. It isn’t clear why the Lord closed her womb. But we watch a pattern emerge with marrying multiple wives to enlarge the family. My God-shot was this simple message: No matter how hard we try to get in the way of God’s higher plan, He will work things out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
God knows who loves Him, and those called according to His purpose will serve His kingdom.
That isn’t an invitation to be foolish but a responsibility we carry because we want to love the people He created. We are set apart, and in performing our obligations, it is essential to pray fervently. God wants to turn our sorrow into worship, pain into reverence, and grief into a joyful sacrificial life. Accept the transformation with an open heart.
~Torrie Slaughter