The shoes are lined in paired perfection.
The white glove keeps its pure crispness.
The pillows are layered in meticulous fashion.
All is well with my home but not with my soul.
I’ve always been somewhat of a perfectionist liking things organized, my house picked up and clean and all things in order. But life isn’t that way.
My husband tells this story that after we were first married he placed his glass on the floor by his chair to walk into the bathroom. He returned and I had the glass washed, dried and put away. The problem was he wasn’t finished with it! I think he may be exaggerating a little but truth be told, he wasn’t far off the mark.
Over the years I have certainly mellowed a lot. A couple of daughters, full sports schedules, a job and other responsibilities break that mold of perfection pretty quickly. I’ve realized that perfection on this earth is unattainable.
However, I catch myself still striving almost on a daily basis to reach that perfection: a list of to-do’s, a bed made before I walk out the door, house picked up, dishes done, daily chores on top of trying to eat healthy, exercise, be all that I can be for my husband and family, be a good employee, volunteer, Christian and the list goes on and on.
Now I’m exhausted just thinking about it all. But the devil is happy. That is exactly what he wants. He wants me to keep striving for perfection and be too exhausted to do anything for God.
If you are running on this perfection spinning wheel with me, stop! God’s not looking for a picture-perfect house, an organized closet or an excellent result from a white glove test. He’s looking for us – me and you. He doesn’t want anything else except us…our heart…living for Him.
Let’s let it all be right with our soul today. Give up striving for extreme perfection a little at a time. And maybe you can have this little song stuck in your head all day, too. “It is well…it is well with my soul!” 🙂
