“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)

Hello. My name is Anna, and I am a (recovering) perfectionist.

I like tidy, neat spaces. I like executing projects perfectly. I do not like loose ends left undone. I really do not like making mistakes. While perfection is a noble goal, I sometimes find myself falling for its ignoble counterfeit, perfectionism. When applied to my spiritual life, this is detrimental. Am I striving by my own efforts to be holy? To earn God’s love? To be noticed? Is my perceived value attached to what I do for God? Am I driven by fear of failure or shame?

I am reminded of the Pharisees in the New Testament who attempted to follow God’s law with such precision they could not see the Lawgiver in their midst. Their perfectionism derailed the perfection to which they aspired. What Jesus came to freely give them was a perfection of holiness far beyond their ability to earn: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). Through Christ’s merits—never ours—we are made perfect. Any good we do is literally his grace at work in us. When we allow the Perfect One to infuse this grace within our souls by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are released from the burden of perfectionism into the beauty of perfection.

Come, Holy Spirit! Perfect us in your love for the glory of God, our own sanctity, and the salvation of souls. Amen.