ARE YOU AFRAID TO BE LESS THAN PERFECT?

As a child, I liked to set the Sunday dinner table for my mother. Mom was an only child so my grandparents came every other Sunday. I wanted the symmetry and beauty of a “perfect table,” so I would get my ruler and measure the distance from the edge of the plate to the placement of the knife—on the right of course.

There was also a little game called, “Step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back.” Naturally, I didn’t want my mother injured, so I spent many walks home from the school bus stop making sure no crack was struck by heel or toe. One day when I was about twelve, I realized that I was getting caught up in magic-thinking. I actually feared that something ominous would happen if I stepped on an imperfection in the road or a butter knife was askew. Momma’s broken back for some misstep of my own and the measured accuracy of a perfectly set table were part of magical thinking. I didn’t like the feeling that I was letting some outside force dictate my behavior. And, believe me, I have been an independent thinker ALL of my life. To break the negative habits, I would deliberately step on every crack in my path and leave my ruler with my notebook.

When that early need to be perfect continues into adulthood, along with our fear of the consequences if we are not, we can become very anxious since perfection is impossible. To try our best is fine, but attempting to be perfect is impossible. God can help us rid ourselves of the need for perfection through our Prayer for Release from Fear. Remember the process or refer back to previous posts: pray 3X day, wait on the Lord, and know he heard you.

“Father God, Lord of my life, your name is precious to my heart. May your kingdom, the Kingdom of God, take residence in my life, that I may be in you and you in me. For this day, Dear Lord, I ask to be released from fear and from the chains that bind me. Forgive me when I have forgotten that you have the power to free me from the crippling emotion of fear. Let this be the day when I trust you again. For these things, I will give you all praise and glory. Holy, holy, holy is your name and the name of your son, Jesus Christ in whose name I pray. You alone have the power to set me free and for that blessing, I say Amen and Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."