It's been quiet on the blogging front recently. Truthfully, it feels like we've spent most of December hibernating with at least one of us, and usually more than one, ill in some form. I'd like to say that we are recovering, and we are, but after I caught a cold last week, the tiredness and lack of energy that often comes as an after effect of flu has returned with a vengeance.
I was very tempted this morning to write a whole list of resolutions for this new year because of course when you're trying to conserve energy the logical thing to do is to start planning all the things you can start when you've got a bit more energy. But then I turned to the devotional book I've been reading (the same one I was reading a few weeks back, which, in the spirit of honesty, I'll admit that I have not progressed very far through since mentioning it before). And it turned out that these words were exactly what I needed this morning:
"In my pursuit of perfection, I become worn and weary. Perfectionism is pride-based performance, a determination to live up to my self-appointed standard. The truth my soul needs to hear is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Perfection is impossible. A chasm separates me from righteousness. It is a height I can never reach, an expanse I can never cross.
By accepting this first truth, I can believe in a second truth: I am justified freely by His grace through redemption in J... Grace means "undeserved favor." Salvation is a gift.... His grace is sufficient... Any failure that I fear is covered by his sacrifice. In J the performance pendulum stops."
At this point, I have to confess I started trying to list some of the ways in which I am tempted to chase after perfectionism. And then I realised how ridiculous some of them are, especially since I am also investing a significant amount of time in learning a foreign language. So I'm not going to list them publicly but imagine the Proverbs 31 wife updated to the 21st century and that would give you a pretty good idea!
So here's to a year of not trying to be perfect. Or at least trying to not try to be perfect. Happy New Year!
