Article February 26, 2018 Issue

Overcome the push of perfectionism

Terese Reiter Messman

In what appears to be a highly competitive world, striving to be the best in all that we do often seems like the key to success and happiness. I was raised in a family where high achievement was greatly valued. Although I will always be grateful for learning the importance of determination and hard work to achieve my goals, I have also had to learn that true satisfaction comes from moment-by-moment listening for God’s guidance, not from a forceful will to achieve a humanly defined outcome.

Striving for excellence can be a joyous endeavor when we look to God as the source of all good. But what if we feel such an intense need for perfection in our lives that we become distressed whenever our world is not “just so”? We may have been taken in by the argument that we are personally responsible for a satisfactory human experience and can’t be at peace unless it is made flawless in every detail.

Understanding that the true foundation for satisfaction and peace is found in the safe, secure, and intelligent realm of God, divine Love—the spiritual reality that is truly ours to accept and embrace—gives tremendous release from the fear that drives an anxious desire for material perfection. The Bible teaches that we are in truth the beloved and joyous children of God, created in the image of Love. The Psalmist promises: “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalms 17:15).

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