Faithfulness Over Perfection

Faithfulness Over Perfection

I was at lunch with some friends, and one asked another, “If you could go back to who you were a year ago, what would you tell yourself?”

They answered, “Not to rush and feel like I have to learn everything at once, but to take my time and take it all in.”

I thought about that answer because it is so true. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and think we have to learn everything right away, and when we don’t, we get upset with ourselves… well, at least I do.

I can speak from experience on this, and I’m sure many of you can as well. We like to feel confident and come across as competent so that it appears we are successful and handling things with ease. We want to impress those around us.

We apply this mindset to every aspect of our lives — work, home, and even our spiritual walks.

But God calls us to faithfulness over perfection and getting everything “right.”

God knows who we are, so the feeling that we need to impress Him comes from our own desires. We feel we have to uphold some sort of image or personality trait that may not come naturally to us so that others don’t see our faults.

But again, God knows us — faults and all — and He welcomes us into His loving arms. He wants to guide us and teach us.

It is through Him and His faithfulness that we learn how to pursue that same kind of faithfulness in our own lives.

There are certain Scriptures and prayers that we return to again and again, and one of those is Psalm 139:24: “Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

We seek to be faithful to our Father, and we ask Him to point things out to us because we know we are not perfect.

So, the question is: Why, in our everyday lives and even in our thoughts about our own capabilities, do we think we have to be perfect?

Honestly, it’s because that is what the world has taught us.

Nowhere in the Bible are we told to chase perfection the way the world promotes it. The world constantly screams at us to be perfect. Through articles, social media, advertisements, and countless other influences, the message is often perfection over faithfulness.

We read books, attend conferences and summits, listen to podcasts, watch videos, and seek advice because we are always looking for ways to be better and do better.

“Striving for faithfulness means consistently showing up, keeping your commitments, and remaining steadfast in your values, even when circumstances change. It builds deep, lasting trust in both your relationship with God and the people around you.”

We want to trust people, and we want to trust God, but because of how we have been shaped by the world and the things we have learned throughout our lives, that can be difficult.

There is a hymn that says:

“Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I seek. All I hath needed thy hand hath provide. Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto thee.”

It’s so simple, and yet it carries so much truth and encouragement.

God’s faithfulness is so great. He does provide grace and mercy new every day. We truly have all we need because of Him. Those truths are found throughout Scripture.

Knowing who God is, understanding His faithfulness to us, and learning how we can walk in that same faithfulness should bring us confidence.

So why do we still struggle?

I think it’s because we have a hard time looking beyond who we think we are and seeing who God says we are.

That struggle often leads us to seek control and perfection. We want to be seen in a certain way, not only through our own eyes but through the eyes of others as well.

When God was teaching me these lessons, He really had to get my attention.

The desire for control and the need to be seen as good, capable, and put together can weigh heavily on us.

One reason I struggled with those things was because I lacked self-confidence. Because of that, I sought validation from others.

I used to throw myself into relationships at 110%, pushing my own wants and needs aside to make sure the other person was happy. I wanted them to notice everything I was doing for them so they would see me as good and want to keep me around.

That is a dangerous game called people-pleasing.

God pointed out that tendency in me because it was getting in the way of my relationship with Him. I was willing to do almost anything for the approval of others, yet I wasn’t pursuing Him with that same level of commitment.

He taught me the importance of seeking Him and His will above all else. Through that, I learned that true contentment could only be found in Him.

Learning to choose faithfulness to the Lord over the perfection and control the world promotes was life-changing and life-giving.

It was through the revelation of where my heart truly was that I began to understand why my actions, words, and reactions were what they were. If my heart was focused on pleasing others, then pleasing others would dominate my thoughts and decisions.

I had to learn that above all else, my heart needed to be focused on God — on pleasing Him and doing the work He has set before me each and every day.

The only way to choose faithfulness over perfection is through a committed relationship with God.

God is so committed to you that He sent His one and only Son to live and die for you.

Are you willing to be that committed to Him?

Are you ready to choose faithfulness over perfection?

Are you ready to choose loyalty to God over the approval of the world?

Choose faithfulness over perfection by grounding your daily life in steadfast devotion, obedience, and trust in God.

Because faithfulness is not about getting everything right. It's about continuing to walk with the One who is always right.