Overcoming Perfectionism
I recently came across a quote that has shifted my thinking personally and spiritually. Winston Churchill reportedly said, “Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.”
“Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.”
I’m in the process of some budget home renovations, starting with our kitchen cabinets. I’ve resisted this because I knew I could not refinish them perfectly, and all my mistakes would surround me. As a missionary overseas, I also struggled with language learning because if I couldn’t pronounce and say things perfectly, then I was hesitant to speak. My progress was plodding through the mud because I couldn’t live up to my standard of perfection.
Have you ever held back from starting something because you feared it wouldn’t be perfect?
When I am honest with myself, I see that pride lingers behind my desire for perfection. Pride is like a puppet master, tying us up in knots rather than freeing us to run in grace. My appetite for perfection goes far beyond kitchen cabinets and new languages. I hunger for perfection in my walk with God—motivated not by God’s holiness but by my own sufficiency and righteousness. Sometimes, I think God only approves of me when I am perfect, but this is the lie of pride and not the truth of the gospel.
The gospel says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God wants our humility, not perfection. Am I willing to walk with God in imperfect weakness, trusting his grace to perfect me? Cut the strings of pride and humbly walk in God’s grace. There is abundant freedom here to walk with God in pursuit of progress instead of perfection.
In what areas of your life is perfectionism holding you back? Today, take one imperfect step forward in grace.