STAY IN THE LINES OR ELSE!!!!!

Do you remember being that kid? The teacher tells you to be careful and color in the lines. You try so hard and then, there it is – a blue smudge escaping and glaring at you in the face. Depending on the reaction of that teacher, or parents or even the other kids; it could leave you feeling a failure.

Perfection; It is a word that carries no significance really. After all, we can never attain perfection only strive for it. We pressure ourselves. We want to be perfect so we try. We color our lives in the lines and try hard not to cross over them much like a child coloring in a coloring book.

Life presents us with so many of these situations. Parenting, our careers, marriages and even the “fun” times must be perfect. I am that person who places that pressure on myself. Living in CHRIST means that we try and attain perfection but in reality until we are with GOD, it will not happen. We ARE going to make mistakes AND GOD plans for our mistakes and uses them to HIS good.

Am I saying go out and make a mountain of mistakes? NOOOOO! I am saying stop being hard on yourself when you fall short. I am telling myself this too. I have to remind myself this constantly.

There is a bad reaction to this perfectionism. Inevitably we WILL fall short. Then either we give up or we beat ourselves up. And there is never any good that comes of this.

GOD does not want us to judge others nor ourselves. GOD shall be the final judge. So rest in HIM and do your best and when you fall short, repent, ask for forgiveness. That is it, it is gone, disappeared. That blue crayon mark outside the line has been “whited-out”. You are free and clear.

Thank YOU JESUS for the ability to try our best even when YOU know that we WILL fall short and loving us when we do fall short and permitting us to try again tomorrow. 

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