Perfecting the Saints

I learned some important lessons about perfectionism this Fall semester 2015.

I guess the first important lesson is that 1) I am not perfect.

The more important lesson comes from some interesting insights that I learned from my visiting teachers this semester. They taught me that 2) I do not need to do things for the sake of being perfect.

Sometimes, I think that I need to achieve things not necessarily because they are really what is most important but because I want to achieve those things to feel perfect. Maybe it's getting an A on a test. Or in a class. Maybe it's having a perfectly clean apartment. Maybe it's having all of the dishes clean and put away. Maybe it's having the lesson read for next week's Sunday School or Relief Society lesson.

The world that we live in is tumultuous. Human error is part of the equation. Yes, we are commanded to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). But perfection is an eternal quest!

And important lesson 3) that perfection is not going to come from getting an A on a test, or in a class, or having all of the dishes clean and put away, but by becoming more like Christ. In fact, perfection can only come through Christ! 

For example, I had a Sociology class that kicked my butt this semester (Due to what I consider a miracle and mercy, things turned out a lot better than expected, but still, most challenging class to date next to Mandarin Chinese). No matter what I did in this class, I felt like I couldn't get ahead. I would work on projects for 11 hours. I met with my professor and asked for his help. I was diligent in completing my readings and assignments. And yet, I just wasn't getting the scores that I wanted or feeling like I was grasping the material.

I also just didn't do as well in my other classes as I would have liked. For example, I took an Intro to Interior Design class this semester. Fascinating class! One of our assignments was to draw a floor and furniture plan of a room that we were familiar with. I chose our apartment living room. Well, let's just say that drawing and dimensioning are not my forte. I failed the assignment, bringing my final grade down to an A-. Now, being a perfectionist, this was a tragedy, and I felt completely inferior earning an A- in a 100 level, General Education, Interior Design class.

But in the grand scheme of eternity, will it matter? No. Did I do my best? Yes! Did this A- diminish my relationship with Christ and trying to be centered on Him? No!

Now, I am not endorsing failure. Under no circumstances am I endorsing using the knowledge that we don't have to be perfect this second to be lazy, complacent, or achieve anything less than our best. What I am saying is let us keep the eternal perspective on perfection. Let us remember the love and mercy that our Heavenly Father extends to us each time that we stumble and fall. Let us remember that at the end of the day, if the dishes aren't put away, if we just aren't getting the grade we hoped for, or we haven't read the lesson manual for next week's Sunday School lesson, take a deep breath and remember: "improvement and progression have one eternal round." What matters is that we are striving each day to put one foot in front of the other and center our lives on Christ, in order to be perfected in Him. As long as our lives are centered on Christ, we are right where we need to be and on our own path to becoming perfect.