perfectionism, procrastination, panic, paralysis…

we are looking here on the front porch at the emotional hang up called perfectionism.  here’s what happens.  perfectionism leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to panic or pressure, pressure leads to paralysis.  

every one of you have probably seen that in your life. 

perfectionism.  we wonder, is it going to be perfect?  and when we wonder if it’s going to be perfect, we start procrastinating because we think, “it’s not the right time to start this project.”  then, because we don’t start at the right time, we get under pressure because time’s running out.  we start panicking.  and when we start panicking, we get paralyzed and we can’t do anything. 

many people go through life sitting on the sidelines because they cannot be perfect so they won’t try anything. 

1 kings 22 is a story of king jehosophat.  it says he built ships that never sailed.  he spent all the time building a fleet and they never left the harbor.  that’s like many lives today.  we work on our lives, constantly improving and improving.  “one of these days i’m going to get my act together.  one of these days i’m going to shove out in the ocean.”  but we never do because we’re afraid.

i hear people saying, “i’m reluctant to serve in a church because i’m inadequate.  i can’t do anything and i don’t have all my hang ups solved so i can’t serve the LORD.” 

listen, every CHRISTian leader who ever lives feels inadequate, including myself.  sometimes i wonder, “what am i doing writing every day, LORD?  what am i doing here?"  the bible says that GOD uses ordinary, imperfect people.

a great verse of comfort is when GOD says, “I am the GOD of jacob.”  why is that such a comfort?  because jacob was a real crook.  he was a swindler, a cheat, a manipulator.  he had grave emotional problems, yet GOD owned him.  GOD said, “I am the GOD of jacob.”  if GOD can say that about jacob, HE can say, “I am the GOD of bill williams in spite of his hang ups, in spite of his weaknesses and mistakes.”  perfectionism destroys initiative. 

just a thought from the front porch…