Perfection

I woke up this morning thinking about perfection. Some of the things I struggle with mentally are because I am a perfectionist. So I turned to the bible to see what I could find there:

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven."
- Philippians 3:13,14

Perfection doesn't mean everything has to be perfect, without flaw. Perfection means taking a good look at myself, take stock. I might not--probably won't--like what I see. In fact, that's usually the point where I stop. I look at myself, see all my flaws and failures, then focus on each and every one of them, until I've beaten myself into a bloody pulp (inside).

While we can look at and recognize our failures, that isn't where our focus should be. I know that I'm not everything I should be, but my mind and energy should be focused ahead. The past is there, in the past. There's nothing I can do about it. I just have to focus my eyes on the goal, which is heaven. Only then will I muster the strength I need to run this race.

Being a perfectionist means I realize my flaws, then press on towards my goal, on a daily basis.