Show Up Anyway | When Perfection Gets in the Way of Obedience

I almost didn't write a Wednesday Word this week.

Actually, as of yesterday, I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to.

If you know me personally, you probably know that I am a bit of a control freak. 😂 I'm also a perfectionist. I like having a plan. I like being prepared. And if I don't feel like I can do something the way I think it should be done, I sometimes just don't do it at all.

This week has been one of those weeks.

Coming off the holiday weekend, we've had lots of orders, plenty of work to catch up on, and just life happening all at once. Yesterday, somewhere in the middle of trying to get everything done, I realized I hadn't posted on social media. I hadn't prepared this week's Wednesday Word. I didn't have a topic planned, a blog written, an email ready, or any of the things I normally check off my list.

So I decided I'd skip it. It's one week. Surely no one will notice.

And honestly, that felt like the easiest thing to do. But when I woke up this morning, I couldn't shake it. I kept thinking: What if one person needed this today?

What if one person opened their email this morning feeling discouraged and needed to be reminded that God hadn't forgotten them? What if someone needed Scripture put in front of them? What if someone just needed a little encouragement to keep going?

And suddenly my reason for not sending anything felt pretty small.

Because the truth was, I wasn't skipping Wednesday Word because I had nothing to say.

I was skipping it because I didn't have enough time to make it perfect.

Ouch. And maybe that right there is today's Wednesday Word topic...

How often do we let our desire to do something perfectly keep us from doing what God has placed in front of us at all?

We tell ourselves we'll start reading our Bible when we have enough time to really study it. We'll start praying more when life slows down. We'll serve when we feel more qualified. We'll talk about Jesus when we know enough Scripture. We'll take the step God has been putting on our heart when we feel more prepared. We'll come back to God when we've gotten our lives a little more put together.

But what if God isn't asking for perfection? What if He's simply asking us to show up?

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

I love that because it reminds me that our weakness isn't something God overlooked when He decided to use us. He already knew.

God knows where we're inconsistent. He knows where we struggle. He knows the mistakes we've made, the things we're still working through, the places where we feel completely unqualified, and every way we'll fall short tomorrow. And He still calls us to come.

There is no such thing as a perfect Christian. There is no perfectly put-together person who finally reaches some level where they become worthy of God's love or useful for His Kingdom. That just doesn't exist and that's also the whole beauty of the Gospel.

Jesus didn't come because we could get everything right.
He came because we couldn't. Thank you, Jesus!

Before you ever made your worst mistake, God knew.
Before you ever wandered, He knew.
Before you ever failed, struggled, doubted, or fell short, He knew.
And Jesus still went to the cross.

That's grace.

And I think sometimes our perfectionism can quietly make our faith more about what we can produce than what God can do through our surrender.

We think we need the perfect words. The perfect timing. The perfect plan. The perfect testimony. The perfect understanding of Scripture. The perfectly cleaned-up life.

But God has never needed our perfection.

He wants our obedience.

Maybe obedience today looks like doing the thing even though you don't feel completely ready. Maybe it's praying the messy prayer because you don't know what else to say. Maybe it's reaching out to someone even though you're not sure you'll have the right words. Maybe it's finally taking the step God has been putting on your heart even though you still have questions.

Or maybe, like me today, it's simply pressing send. Imperfectly.

Because I'm realizing that if God can use these words to encourage even one person, then my need to make them perfect was never a good enough reason to keep them to myself.

And maybe someone reading this needs to hear something even simpler today:
You don't have to get yourself together before you come to God.

Because maybe the goal was never to have everything perfectly prepared and perfectly put together.

Maybe the goal is simply to keep showing up, keep surrendering, and trust that His strength is more than enough for everything we lack.

So this Wednesday Word isn't as prepared as I normally like it to be. And maybe that's exactly how it needed to be. If you're reading this today, I want you to know that wherever you are, I'm rooting for you.

But infinitely more important than that: God isn't waiting for a perfect version of you. He loves you, He wants you, and He's inviting you to come as you are.

Show up anyway.

Reflection

• Where has your need to feel ready, qualified, or perfectly prepared been keeping you from taking a step God has placed in front of you?
• What would it look like to stop waiting for perfect and simply show up today?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank You that Your grace doesn't depend on my ability to get everything right. Forgive me for the times I've allowed fear, perfectionism, or my need for control to keep me from being obedient to You. Help me show up even when I don't feel ready. Give me the courage to take the next step even when I can't see the whole plan. Remind me that my weaknesses don't surprise You and that Your strength is more than enough for everything I lack. Thank You for sending Jesus because You already knew I could never save, fix, or perfect myself. Take what I have today...even when it feels unfinished and imperfect...and use it however You choose. In Jesus' name, amen.