Insights

There’s a scene in one of my favorite shows where two characters are discussing perfection. One of them, Luca, says he was the best at his job... “And then I started at this really great place as a commis, and this other chef started the same day as me, and… (sighs) I thought we were competition, um, but really we weren’t. He was better than me- much, much better than me. He worked harder and faster than I ever could and it was the first time I realized that I wasn’t the best and I was never gonna be the best. So I started looking at it like it was a good thing. At least I knew who the best was now, and I could take that pressure off myself. The only logical thing to do was to try and keep up with him. So I never left this guy’s side.”

Perfectionism can be idolatry when unharnessed and unfocused. Trying to do the absolute best job for the sake of glorifying God is never a bad thing. But remember: we’re not trying to be God (we already have one of those and He’s doing it better than we ever could), we’re trying to follow in His footsteps. The problems arise when we don’t allow good enough to be an option. I will never know the Bible like Jesus does. I will never love others like Jesus does. I will never pray/worship/study/serve/heal/teach like Jesus does. If I allow myself to get frustrated by that truth, well…perfectionism has become my god.

We, unfortunately, see this in classes, especially in high school. The drive to be perfect overwhelms the drive to learn and better ourselves each day. So we have students who panic and (perhaps) use less-than-ethical methods to achieve results they think others expect of them. The pursuit of the perfect grade overwhelms the learning experience.

We, unfortunately, see this in our churches. People clean up for Sunday, answer all of the questions “perfectly” with the answers others expect of them, and ultimately leave feeling emptier than when they arrived. The pursuit of looking perfect in front of others overwhelms the potential for growth and true, vulnerable Christian community. 

I felt this pressure firsthand over the last few months. I didn’t have a great summer. Both of my older kids broke an arm, we ended up stuck in Dallas during Beryl, my parents came down with COVID, and that’s before any of the normal punches life throws at us landed. When school started back up, many of you asked me the expected question: “How was your summer?” And when I answered honestly, it caused quite a few deer-in-headlights moments. I even felt uncomfortable answering honestly, like I knew I wasn’t doing it right. We aren’t conditioned for honesty. We’re conditioned to expect the same answers, “It was great! We’re fine! Everything’s good!” But when I freed myself from those expectations…when I allowed myself to admit things weren’t perfect…that I wasn’t the best and I never would be the best…that pressure lifted off of me. And I was suddenly free to do the thing I should have been doing all along: try and keep up with the guy who is the best, never leave His side, learn all I can, and every day keep getting a little bit better.

I want all of us to feel free to be messy and imperfect, but I don’t want us to be comfortable staying there. Being excellent doesn’t mean being perfect, but it does mean working towards that goal in every way possible. And when it feels like too much, remember you’ve got the Lord of Lords and King of Kings by your side, not only to show you the right way to do it, but to cheer you on in the race.

Dr. Jason Henderson
Secondary Education Principal
Logos Preparatory Academy