CJ (speaker) shares a personal anecdote about taking wrong turns in trail races, describing the shame and embarrassment that perfectionistic tendencies can cause when results fall short. He links perfectionism to seeking others' approval (wanting people to think well of him) rather than enjoying the activity or being grateful to God. CJ then invites listeners to consider how trusting in God's work in them helps release the idol of perfectionism, offering examples (God brings work to completion in His timing; God can use imperfect writing) and prompting listeners to write down reflections.
The McDonald's Snack Wrap is back. You brought it back. Ranch snack wrap, Spicy snack wrap. You broke the Internet for a snack snack wrap is back.
Races over the years where I did a trail race and made a wrong turn, which is easy to do sometimes, especially if perhaps a course isn't marked quite as well as it should be, or. Or perhaps I didn't have the proper course knowledge because I didn't study the map or the route well enough. But there were a couple races where I went off the course. And so then you're coming into the finish line with your tail tucked underneath you. There's some shame, there's some embarrassment. Now, nobody may have known that you took a wrong turn, but I know that's going to show up in the results. And what's going to show up in the results is a less than perfect result of what I wanted so that everyone can perceive, oh, CJ's a good runner. Look at this guy. He finished way near the top instead of finishing down below, further than I wanted, all because of that wrong turn. And so what's the perception of what people are thinking of me? Again, it's this perfectionistic. I want people to think well of me. Therefore I'm going to strive for the best result for that reason. Not because I want to enjoy the trail race, not because I'm just grateful to be out there and that the Lord's given me the opportunity. No, I want people to see that CJ is a good runner. And so this is just one example of our perfectionistic tendencies. So I want you to write down.
How trusting God's work in you helps you let go of perfectionism. Again, how does trusting God's work in you, the work that he's doing in you, help you let go of the perfectionistic idol? So, for example, God will bring my work to completion in his way and in his time. That's one example. Another example might be I can trust him to use my writing, even if it's not perfect. Can you rest in that, knowing that when you push the publish button, there might be some imperfection in some areas or a way that you could rephrase something a little bit differently? But can you trust that God's going to fill the gaps in his way in his time? So I want you to write that down.