As the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. I am a recovering perfectionist. Recently, amid looming deadlines and competing priorities, I planned a busy day to optimize progress on multiple fronts. I was up ahead of the sun, working, cleaning, planning, and organizing. My logic was that if I made a Herculean effort that day, it would alleviate later stresses.

Throughout the day, I repeatedly encountered unexpected delays and challenges that resulted in me not making nearly the level of progress that I had hoped. By that evening, my perfectly productive day had morphed into a frustrating mess. I was irritated and feeling like an underachiever.

Dejected, I flopped into a chair, then sighed to myself as I realized I needed to get right back up to retrieve something that I needed for my next task. It was then that I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I barely recognized the frowning, stressed-out person that I saw looking back at me. I immediately had a reality check with myself, praying and asking God to help me. I had unintentionally tried to fly solo that day, not seeking God’s guidance on my To-Do List. I’d failed miserably. I invited God into the situation, asking Him to help me recover and prioritize.

The truth is, God wants to be involved every aspect of our lives. He does not want us worried, anxious, nor distracted. Those are tools of the enemy. Philippians 4:6-7 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We need to pray and invite God into every situation that concerns us. Psalm 138:7-9 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” How often do limp along in our weaknesses and frustrations, injured and struggling for so long that we no longer recognize it? Job 12:13 says: “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.” God already knows all things in detail. He doesn’t need to come up to speed because He IS the speed.

It took years for me to realize it – but my deep-seated desire for perfection is born of a spirit of pride. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” I didn’t have to fall far. It only took a relatively minor level of frustration to help me see the error of my ways. I spent some time in prayer, asking God’s forgiveness and confessing my need for Him. I continued to pray, asking God to bind up a spirit of pride and loose a spirit of humility. I needed God to order my steps. I did not want to operate in frustration one moment longer. To my relief, as I sealed my prayer in the matchless name of Jesus, a spirit of peace came over me. I returned to my To-Do List with a different mindset. I quickly distinguished between which tasks were critical vs. optional. I reprioritized and remixed my To-Do List based on what I felt God thought was important. A few hours later, I retired for the evening feeling both peaceful and victorious because, in His loving and merciful way, my beloved heavenly Father taught me how to stop being the captain of my own tempest in a teacup. He showed me how to avoid majoring in the minor because only what we do for Christ will last.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”
-1 Corinthians 15:58