Striving for Perfection Might Not Be Our Best Yes

There are so many experiences calling our name, so many opportunities we could say yes to, so many dreams to chase, so many relationships to invest in. It’s so easy for women to feel distracted, pulled in one hundred directions and even frantic at times. 

Does worry have you up at night? Does stress keep bossing you around? Are you trying to hold everything together and feel like you’re failing? We all resonate with the big dreams and great opportunities vying for our time, and the temptation to let the perfectionist in each of us take over. We try to be amazing in so many endeavors and responsible with so many commitments that we often end up feeling like we’re failing at all of it. 

There is a story in the Bible in Luke 10 where two sisters have Jesus over and one sister, Martha, is trying to make everything perfect. She’s whipped up pies and laid out the charcuterie board. She’s got the perfect playlist on, the candles are lit and the roast is in the oven. She has her pearls on along with her perfect cashmere sweater and she even pulled off beach-wave hair. She dusted every nook and cranny of her house and hand picked some beautiful wildflowers in her yard for the occasion. 

Martha is so busy being perfect that she looks over at her sister Mary and fumes with bitterness because her sister is sitting on the flippin’ floor, chattin’ it up with Jesus. And so Martha starts complaining to Jesus about all the work she’s doing while her lazy sister is connecting with Him. 

You can tell Martha thinks Jesus will affirm her feelings. But He doesn’t. Jesus actually calls out her perfectionistic, busy, people-pleasing, “trying to do all things for all people” way of life. Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

You know our perfectionism steals from our lives because things just never feel good enough, adored enough, credited enough, impactful enough. When we try to be all things to all people, we fail to choose what is best. And so we find ourselves missing out. Martha missed out on real connection. She missed out on an engaging relationship. She missed out on deep conversation. And in all her missing out, she thought making things perfect was best, when in actuality what was Best was sitting right in front of her. 

We have a God who enters our house, our hearts, our lives, and He waits for us. He awaits our presence. He wants to connect. He wants to laugh and cry. He wants to be together. And in His perfect presence we are reminded that we don’t have to do, we only have to be. We don’t have to perform. We don’t have to please. We don’t have to prove. We just get to be who we are, as we are, and Jesus meets us there. With all the pressing things trying to compete for your attention, lean into choosing Jesus as your best yes.