Peace in Perfectionism

{Pictured above is Kawainui park, a favorite path of mine in our town to walk & tell God repeatedly how inspiring He is with His landscape handiworks}

* * *

Daydream this . . .

2019: A world where perfectionism is not priority. A world where Hollywood's "barbie girl in a barbie world" facade does not exist. A world where men & women are not criticized based on their physical appearance, education or socioeconomic status. A world where greed, pride, & selfishness cannot be defined, because no one has ever heard of such words. A world where ...

Time to wake up from that beautiful trance, because this is two-thousand & nineteen, folks. We exist in a domain where, in order to obtain peace (within ourselves & among others), there has gotta be a persistent personal endeavor for perfectionism. Or so we are told.

If my great grandparents (Pop & Nana) were living today & experienced just one spoon full of the present plastic perfectionist-minded culture, they would absolutely not say that sugar makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way. Peace in perfectionism is nonexistent. Give me a hot minute, & read on.

Peace is freedom from disturbance, a state where war (in this context, we are speaking figuratively) has come to an end. Perfectionism is the refusal to accept any standard short of flawlessness. But have you ever said to yourself, "ah, finally, I have achieved perfection. My body is precisely how I want it to look, every inch of it. My career is at its peak soaring capacity. My bank account has fully reached its impeccable amount. Every aspect of my life is p-e-r-f-e-c-t." I will be the realist & LOL to that. But why? Why don't we say these statements? Oh, because how we are so lost at present culture sea, & are told to just ride that wave goodbye.

Self-absorption seems to proceed the idea of self-perfectionism, resulting in ruthless people-pleasing. Being in a constant state of war within oneself to attain flawlessness, actively & sometimes unknowingly (at first), produces self-absorption. One may have started out on this vicious cycle because they felt unworthy, & so longingly wanted to know what it felt like to be seen as admirable in the eyes of someone else, especially if one was told otherwise. So they started their war within, & this culture, whether it be diet culture, fame culture, or wealth culture, one-hundred percent encourages such a feud. For example, diet culture makes us obsessed with our outward selves, whether we want to admit to such a daunting statement or not (of course, as I always project in various parts of my blogs, all of my statements are subjective). It also causes us to exert excessive energy into how we think people are thinking about us, which leads to lack of true connection with others. I will absolutely not act as if I have never been there, done that, because I have, & how easy it is for many, if not all of us to fall into.

It is heartbreaking how self-absorption is culturally praised, & self-acceptance serves little value in the position of popularity. We as a culture are almost expected to stand in awe of individuals who blatantly have counterfeit & unobtainable measures. Example: the (probably) most popular influencer of this generation: Kylie Jenner. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, individuals who surgically make alterations to their face & body, do not have peace in perfectionism. That "striving for flawlessness" war within is lit, & spreads like a wildfire, leaving almost no space for any type of personal acceptance.

Can one let go of self-absorption, self-perfectionism, & people-pleasing? Can one change the backward ingrained culture, & openly learn to self-love? Yes, ya just gotta learn how to go against the grain. The grain of your own cultural embedded mind, the grain of worldly judgment & lies, the grain of approval, & the grain of impeccability. By the way, this isn't meant to resemble a relaxing spa treatment, followed by a cucumber melon facial. Connecting with others in this movement is crucial, whether that be in person, video chat, text/call/email. Whatever the case, whatever the circumstance, whatever the personal issue at hand, connect. My personal choice of connection is professional Christian counsel. Sure, this can be a vulnerable personal announcement, but it doesn't have to be, & I am not making it such. Having a therapist is not a sign of weakness, & if one says otherwise, that's culture speaking. For me, it is a form of spring cleaning the soul, all natural, baby. As I grow each day in Christ with my personal walk of life, He recently showed me that I still have a few past areas (from growing up amongst dysfunction, that has resurfaced its rug-shoved self to present day) that need brought back into present reconciliation, again, but this time with expert help. I want the fullness of God in every aspect of life, so I opened myself to act on this nudge of His, knowing it was only by His grace I was once saved, & only by His grace I am still redeemed.

Psalms 27:13: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Oh, & I do see His goodness everywhere. But believe me, (for me) it is not found within a reality television show, in any cell phone app, or inside a People magazine. It is found on a large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level (mountains), in the loose granular substance (sand) leading to an expanse of green/blue sea, through face-to-face connective conversations & Godly counsel, inside a building used for public worship (church), & in the scriptures consisting of the law, the Prophets, & writings (the Bible). That is a grand definition of goodness, peace, & close "perfectionism", if ya ask me.

Daydream this . . .

My son or daughters grow up in a world where plastic surgery doesn't equal cultural perfectionism. A world where the passions of life reach farther than Instagram followers. A world where a specific place God calls one to is where their deep joy meets the world's deep needs. A world where self-worth isn't measured on what one's external body looks like. A world where one can see that this planet is much bigger than themselves. A world where unique beauty only lies in all of God's stunning creations, not in mans. A world where we are present, not perfect.

God, take us by the hand, & lead us to your cross, every time we need it, where peace meets perfect.