Perfectionists: The Present-Day Pharisees (Part 2)
In general, the term "perfectionist" is used as today's code word for a present day Pharisee.
There is a very thin line between living a life of excellence and pursuing a life of perfectionism. At the very core of a perfectionist is a broken heart. It's the "father wound," the wound that comes from not feeling accepted by your earthly dad. In response, you impose this feeling of rejection on your relationship with your heavenly Dad.
With rare exception, the people who fall for this trap set by Satan, grew up in a family where love and approval was conditional. As a result, you believe that unless you're perfect, you're not acceptable. You perpetually feel the dreaded and painful "never enough" feeling at the end of each day.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Never enough…
This is the silent and internal engine that drives you to a daily life of "success" and busyness. It's what drives you to become obsessively productive. You become addicted to the adrenaline rush that productivity provides for you. What results will eventually lead to a breakdown of your immune system.
When perfection is used as the means to attain and maintain God's love and approval, the fear of imperfection is unavoidable. Since imperfection happens daily, self-anger is the inevitable shadow of this expectation.
Fear and anger: The perfect combination for stress.
Interestingly enough, fear and anger are the only two emotions that trigger the adrenal gland to release cortisol in your bloodstream. There are numerous medical evidences that prove the destructive effects of cortisol in one's immune system. When your immune system gets compromised, a wide variety of illnesses are waiting to invade your health. All because you crave to attain what is freely available: the Father's love and approval.
Two people could be experiencing the same set of circumstances—one being completely content, while the second is completely stressed out. The only difference is in what each believes.
"All who rely on observing the law are under a curse… It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ." Galatians 3:10, 5:1,4
The goal of the Pharisees was to perfectly follow all the rules. This was their way of trying to attain God's love and approval. Jesus said to them, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones…" (Matthew 23:27).
Satan is still telling the same lies as he did centuries ago.
What our Dad in heaven wants more than anything is to develop loving relationships with Him and with others (Matthew 22:34-40). Our part is to pursue this with all our might, and continually learn how to receive the Father's love (1 John 4:19). By doing so, we naturally end up loving God and others (1 John 4:7-8).
Receiving His love is the key that will free you from the enslaving trap of perfectionism. When you're daily experiencing and celebrating His love, there is no need to misuse perfection.
May you experience how beautiful and truly life-changing the Father's love is!
This is part two in a two-part series.
_____________________________________________________
Michael Trillo is founder and director of Breakthrough Ministries Worldwide. He is a speaker and author of the book What Does Really Want, available at www.WhatDoesGodReallyWant.com. He can be contacted at info@michaeltrillo.com.
