Are you a perfectionist? Perfectionism seems to be an innate desire to do something the right way. People can be perfectionists in certain areas and not in others. Perfectionism is applied to an area of your life that you care about. Think about the example of a teenager that begins to care for their appearance a little more meticulously. But an older or middle-aged person that has no one to impress just may let things go because they don’t care anymore. Now, of course it’s a good idea to care for yourself and be presentable, out of character, appreciation for those around you, and respect for yourself.
Perfectionism can be applied to many areas of life. It can prevent us from seeking the things that help us grow. Over the years, I have often chosen mentors based on if they were a person I would like to emulate. But there would be a point that I would see a fault in them or an imperfection about that person and it would discourage me from seeking their advice. In fact, it was as if I would mentally cross them off the list of people that were options for me to seek counsel from.
Proverbs 20:5 says, “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.” There are times when we need to seek counsel from people and this verse indicates it should be someone who has understanding. There are some people that have a God-given gift of understanding. Some people have understanding in a certain area in which you could seek counsel from them, and you may seek counsel from someone else in a different area.
But it’s important for us to realize that when we see that area of imperfection, instead of writing them off our list to ever gain from their knowledge again, we should remember, that is just an area that they have yet to grow in personally. It’s an area that you don’t need to seek their counsel in. And I’m guessing that person will know that they can’t counsel in that area. Not only that, others will eventually see those kind of weaknesses in you, and you will want their forgiveness for your imperfections. Are we giving to others what we expect from them?
Let’s not allow our perfectionism to cause us to write off a person that could benefit us in our personal and spiritual growth. God isn’t finished with any of us yet, is He? Let’s give our siblings in Christ some slack. He will never be “finished” with us, at least not on this earth. We are to walk with God daily and allow Him to do His work through us. But let’s set our perfectionism aside and give in to wisdom and humility for our own benefit.
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” – Psalm 1:1
