Though I am not a big fan of baseball, the news caught my eye. “Perfect Game!” The report informed me that out of about 235,500 Major League Baseball games played, just 24 have been “perfect.” What does that mean? A perfect game is one in which no batter on the opposing team reaches a base during the full 9 innings. Last night, Yankees pitcher, Domingo German, did it! Not one player from the Oakland A’s reached a base- not from a hit ball, a walk, being hit by a pitch, or an error.
Perfection is a tough standard. A person who sets herself up for perfection is likely to feel overwhelmed, perhaps even depressed. It is often difficult to measure perfection when we adopt the accomplishment or achievement of others as the standard of for ourselves, though we do not have their experience, skills, or opportunities. What is perfection? A perfect score on a math test is indisputable. A perfect baseball game cannot be argued, but much of the time ‘perfection’ is more like ‘better than.’ We live a healthier and more focused life if our goal is personal best rather than some kind of perfection based on comparison. The idolatry of perfection will surely destroy any hope of a joyful, committed, and fulfilled life. Striving for it will make us perpetually desperate, anxious, and cranky!
Instead of looking for perfection, we should ask these questions of ourselves.
Who does God want ME to be?
What gifts and callings has He given to ME?
Where am I in life right now and am I making the most of the realities of the PRESENT?
This idea of perfect success shows up too often in parenting. We can't let our kids be ordinary (almost a curse word to some!) because to do so is to fail to push them to their potential. So, adopting a false standard of success, we turn them into crazy competitors who don't know the joy of doing anything just 'for the fun of it;' who spend the rest of their lives living on with stress and anxiety. Why don’t we ever just say, "Just play baseball and enjoy it, son." Oh no, we have to ruin Little League for him, making a 9 year old kid play the game like the destiny of the universe rides on whether his team wins! A man who coached kids for years told me how the impossible standards of some parents ruined the game for so many. He told me that he wanted to remind those parents that the odds of their little boy becoming a Major League Baseball player were miniscule so let them play and enjoy their childhood.
We will not rejoice in who we are because if we are always focused on what we could be... if only…
Many spouses suffer under the strain of being compared to
that one that is 'so perfect.'
Your husband will never win your heart if you expect him to
be Jesus, Brad Pitt, and Superman, rolled into one perfect man.
Your wife cannot possibly keep a Martha Stewart home, look
like a supermodel, and have the compassion of Mother Teresa everyday.
Would we destroy what could be a great relationship, missing
the treasure we have, because our expectations are skewed by our cultural
expectations?
The joy of Christ and His love will be lost to stress and strain IF we measure and compare ourselves to others. God's will is that we surrender to the Spirit's call and allow Him to use us - just as we are, right where we are- for His purposes. In Romans 14, Paul teaches us that we must never compare ourselves and our gifts to others. The passage directs us to stop judging others and ourselves, understanding this: "While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord." (Romans 14:8, NLT) Our grade of success is set by the One who knows exactly what we can do, what we are called to do, and how we are gifted to do those things. The approval or condemnation of the crowd has little meaning for the true servant of Christ.
Perhaps you are surprised that I would applaud mediocrity. If that what you think I am doing then either I have communicated poorly or you have come to the wrong conclusion. It's not mediocrity that I'm urging on us today. It is acceptance of who God created us to be, our gifts and abilities, so that we can live with contentment and joy. God has a plan for each one of us, and we can't all be a CEO, an astronaut, or a famous leader. If we attempt, in the name of excellence, to be someone that we are not called or equipped to be, we will miss out on the great joy that comes to those who are humble - that is, no more and no less than God calls them to be.
Ask God who He is asking you to be, without comparison to some external standard of 'excellence.' Rejoice in the spiritual gifts and opportunities He has presented to you and be the person He wants, not the person others are demanding you become. Give up the need to be recognized, to 'win' the award, to earn applause - except the applause of Heaven earned as we perform for the Audience of One. In this humility and contentment we will find that life is much more pleasant for us and for all those around us. Give up perfection and I am convinced that you will accomplish more, with greater effectiveness, because you are living for God. What He blesses in us is of lasting value!
Here is the word from the Word for today. May the Spirit’s wisdom own our minds and hearts. "Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else." (Galatians 6:4, NLT) "Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." (Galatians 6:8-9, NLT)
(Video of this blog at this link)
____________________
All this pain,
I wonder if I'll ever find my way?
I wonder if my life could really change,
At all?
All this earth,
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come up from this ground,
At all?
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of us.
Hope is springing up from this old ground,
Out of chaos life is being found,
In You.
You make me new, You are making me new!
You make me new, You are making me new!
Lisa Gungor | Michael Gungor
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