The Problem with Perfectionism by Patty Mason

Today, Pearls of Promise is featuring guest blogger, Patty Mason, who is one of the 46 authors featured in the Pearls of Promise Devotional.  The Pearls of Promise Team will be visiting Patty in Franklin, Tennessee on September 18th where we will be speaking to the MOPS group she leads there. Patty is graciously hosting us in her home.  We can’t wait to meet her in person! 

Patty is a wife and mother who found hope and healing when Jesus reached into her well of depression and set her free. From her painful past God created Liberty in Christ Ministries, a ministry dedicated to helping others find hope, healing, and freedom for their souls. As a speaker and Bible teacher, Patty has reached audiences all over the world through Sisters on Assignment, Christian TV, Sermon.net, Salem Communication’s Light Source, and WLGT Blog Radio Live. Her story has been featured on numerous television and radio programs including CBN and the 700 Club.

Her books include, Transformed by Desire: A Journey of Awakening to Life and Love, Finally Free: Breaking the Bonds of Depression Without Drugs, and Experiencing Joy: Strategies for Living a Joy Filled Life.

For more information on Patty visit www.libertyinchristministries.com

“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” (John 10:10, AMP).

The best times in my life, the times I really remember with great fondness, are the simple ones. The times when things fell into my lap with no effort on my part, like when one of my children would give me an unexpected hug. Some of our best vacations have been the ones I didn’t plan. We just packed our bags, spur of the moment, and left.

For years I stopped the joy in my life because I complicated my life. I was always trying to control everything. If I needed help around the house, I would ask for help, but when my husband or children pitched in I didn’t like the way they did things, so I either took over or went behind them and redid their job. I found it hard to relax whenever company came over because I worked hard at making sure the house, the food, the table setting, the kids, me—everything was perfect. By the time the company arrived I was exhausted. Then, during their visit, I often felt nervous because they undid everything I did to make things perfect. It didn’t take long for me to begin to wish they would leave. Can anyone relate? The other part of the problem was I was trying to impress people. Seriously, in those days, I needed everything to be perfect—all the time—no wonder I was frustrated and not having any joy.

Then one day, a friend gave me a book entitled, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. That was when I decided to make a change. I began to slow down and stop taking everything seriously. The change didn’t happen overnight, but I eventually made the shift. Now I enjoy my life a lot more because I’ve learned to drop the frying pan, so to speak. I no longer try to impress people. I do still clean my house, but now if my family does something to help out I don’t go behind them and redo their job, even if I don’t like the way they accomplished the task. The house is what it is. If I have guests, I make sure I can offer them something to drink and a clean bathroom (and for Lisa and her team, when they come in September, clean sheets).  If they need more than that, oh well—hint, hint Lisa J.  Basically, I’ve stopped living to please other people and started living to please God. As a result, I’ve unblocked most of the “joy stoppers” in my life and started having a lot more fun.

What I learned is the thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy my joy. Jesus came that I may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (see John 10:10, emphasis mine). All too often, I allowed the enemy to steal my joy because I believed the lie that told me I had to be something I’m not. I was convinced I needed to be perfect in order for people to like me. But when I stopped believing the lie and started to stand on the promises of God and who I am in Him, the pressure to be perfect came off. In Christ I am perfect, so now I am free to be who I am in Him. My joy is rooted in God, not in possessions, money, people, or trying to be perfect. My joy is in Jesus and the simple pleasure of being His.

What has the enemy stolen from you? What are the “joy stoppers” in your life? Make the choice today to stop believing the lies and start believing Jesus.