This is an edited and rewritten version of a devotion that I wrote a few years ago for this blog.
PERFECTIONISM
I have always aspired to be Super
Mom, the woman who can juggle the needs of husband, children, the ministry,
home-schooling, housework, extra-curricular activities, and extended family without
breaking into a sweat that could ruin hair and make-up. The problem with
aspiring to be a superhero is that as wonderful as it appears in comic books,
one does not humanly exist outside the realm of imagination except within the realm of deity.
If my aspiration seems ridiculous then consider the women that you admire. Most likely you also are either envious of someone who seems to be Super Mom or you have taken a composite of several women and designed your own prototype. Her house and yard are always tidy, her children clean and immaculately dressed in clothing she tailor-made, and she herself is always beautiful, smiling, and happy. The meals she fixes are nutritious and economical, yet appealing. If this is your ideal woman, then you really must read in Genesis 3 about the one woman in the Bible who did experience perfection ever so briefly.
Eve was specially created by God to be the wife of the first man, Adam. She did not face some of the challenges we, her daughters, do such as whom to marry, where to live, what to fix for dinner, or what to wear. God had arranged all those details before she ever arrived on the scene.
If my aspiration seems ridiculous then consider the women that you admire. Most likely you also are either envious of someone who seems to be Super Mom or you have taken a composite of several women and designed your own prototype. Her house and yard are always tidy, her children clean and immaculately dressed in clothing she tailor-made, and she herself is always beautiful, smiling, and happy. The meals she fixes are nutritious and economical, yet appealing. If this is your ideal woman, then you really must read in Genesis 3 about the one woman in the Bible who did experience perfection ever so briefly.
Eve was specially created by God to be the wife of the first man, Adam. She did not face some of the challenges we, her daughters, do such as whom to marry, where to live, what to fix for dinner, or what to wear. God had arranged all those details before she ever arrived on the scene.
Eve’s abode was
within the self-watering, non-weed producing Garden of Eden. She, her husband,
and their children were to have no wardrobe problems. Their food was nutritious and consisted of an ever-abundant supply. Her offspring were always
going to be obedient to the point of not experiencing sibling rivalry, and
their pets would never scratch or bite. Eve was designed by God to be Super Mom
and the ancestress of many like herself.
So what happened?
Satan began to make her question whether or not she had the best of what God had to offer. The perfect woman became convinced that she was not quite perfect enough! If she took just one bite she would become a god herself! The thought of deification appealed to her and she succumbed to the temptation.
I have given into the temptation of trying to become my own god, too. Like what happend to Eve, catastrophic consequences result when I attempt to take on a role that I have no natural power to enforce. I actually cause the opposite to happen than what I desired: I become less Godlike! This sets up a vicious cycle where I feel the need to do more to compensate for being less than a perfect wife and mother. The more I do, the less Godlike I become making Super Mom status even less obtainable.
So what happened?
Satan began to make her question whether or not she had the best of what God had to offer. The perfect woman became convinced that she was not quite perfect enough! If she took just one bite she would become a god herself! The thought of deification appealed to her and she succumbed to the temptation.
I have given into the temptation of trying to become my own god, too. Like what happend to Eve, catastrophic consequences result when I attempt to take on a role that I have no natural power to enforce. I actually cause the opposite to happen than what I desired: I become less Godlike! This sets up a vicious cycle where I feel the need to do more to compensate for being less than a perfect wife and mother. The more I do, the less Godlike I become making Super Mom status even less obtainable.
"God must be withholding something good from me," is the lie that Eve believed. It is the lie that every Super Mom believes.
It is time to admit that you are merely human and cannot achieve a godlike status. Try not to worry about what others will think of you when they discover your imperfections. Your failure will never be as notorious as is Eve’s. God inspired hers to be documented through His Word and intended everyone to read it. Failure cannot get more public than that!
Hang up the Super Mom costume - no, destroy it completely - and find something more suitable to wear. Unlike the one-size-too-small dress that hangs in your closet waiting for you to lose those extra pounds, the Super Mom costume will never fit no matter what you do. Instead, Jesus provides a robe of righteousness that fits any Super Mom (or Superman) who is willing to make the trade. Only by His blood will you ever achieve that desired state of perfection.
While Eve and all Super Moms are guilty of believing a lie, the truth is that God never withholds something good from me, even if it costs Him the Person most dear to Him. He gave Jesus, the only perfect human that ever lived, as a substitute so that Eve and those like her who desire to be like God may achieve the desire of their hearts.
Hang up the Super Mom costume - no, destroy it completely - and find something more suitable to wear. Unlike the one-size-too-small dress that hangs in your closet waiting for you to lose those extra pounds, the Super Mom costume will never fit no matter what you do. Instead, Jesus provides a robe of righteousness that fits any Super Mom (or Superman) who is willing to make the trade. Only by His blood will you ever achieve that desired state of perfection.
While Eve and all Super Moms are guilty of believing a lie, the truth is that God never withholds something good from me, even if it costs Him the Person most dear to Him. He gave Jesus, the only perfect human that ever lived, as a substitute so that Eve and those like her who desire to be like God may achieve the desire of their hearts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
On October 11, 2014 this blog post was linked to:
October 11,2014
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Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalms 19:14 (KJV)