Excellent But Not Perfect by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

There is a difference between excellence and perfection. I strive for excellence in everything I do, but have learned I am far from perfect. Last week, I passed my doctoral defense but when preparing for it and re-reading my paper that I had already turned in, I found many typos and cringed. I tried to be excellent, but the paper was not perfect. I am thankful for the editor who is cleaning it up for publication.

This week on POP Talk we interviewed Kyle Winkler who wrote the book Permission to Be Imperfect. He says that “if perfection or even near perfection is what you believe God desires from you, then you are living opposite of what God really desires. In this lifestyle, you will never realize the abundant, victorious life that God promises because you will buckle constantly under the pressure of trying to earn it or prove yourself worthy of it.”

The Apostle Paul is a good example of an imperfect individual. He pleaded with God to remove his imperfection, calling it a “thorn in the flesh.” But after persistent requests for God to take it away he told Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God knows we are not perfect, and allows imperfection so He can display His strength, power, and abilities through us. With all my imperfections, I would be a shell of a woman without Him filling in the holes of my shortcomings.

So, it is my belief that we should still strive for excellence in everything we are called by God to take on, but we also need to give ourselves grace as the Lord gives us grace and know that imperfection is okay. It is a normal, human attribute. Because we are short of perfect, we are led to reliance on God and to an understanding of His grace in our lives, for which we can be very thankful.

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Start your New Year off with our new devotional book, Treasure! Lane Jordan Burday and Lisa Burkhardt Worley, along with the POP Team, combined their talents to write the book, which is full of wonderful inspiration. You will be inspired by the messages, and receive daily treasure as God will speak to you through His Holy Spirit. To buy Treasure just click on the Amazon link that takes you directly to the page. https://tinyurl.com/2uj9sn5x.

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