So God created man in His own image.

~Genesis 1:27a

As I grew from a child to an adult, I often heard that I was not okay as I was. This led to me acting in ways to acquire approval, particularly through perfectionism. Little did I know the truth about perfectionism. 

I believed the lie that if I could paint myself as a perfect person, even to the extent of lying about certain things, then I could convince others I was okay when I wasn’t. One thing I lied about was my health. When my high school cheerleading coach asked me if I felt okay after noticing I had lost a lot of weight, I told her everything was fine, even though I struggled with an eating disorder. This perfectionism guise led to striving to be thin. I hid the truth from my coach because of the shame I felt. I wanted to fit in and thought looking better on the outside would somehow make me feel not so broken on the inside.

Eventually, this became a battle I had no energy to fight. The more lies I told, the harder it became to keep track of them. Living in constant terror of slipping up wore on me. Embellishing things to make myself look better, because I thought people wouldn’t accept me for who I was, drained me. I finally reached a point where changing my dysfunctional cycle became necessary. Uncovering the truth of who I was and why I did what I did was inescapable.

In my recovery, I unraveled the lies I believed about myself instead of hiding behind them. I got honest about who I was and learned I wasn’t alone. Throughout the process, I discovered I am worthy of love despite my imperfections. In learning how to be genuine, I’ve found it is easier to be authentic. I also began to experience respect from people when I decided to be honest. In my case, I pretended to be okay when I wasn’t. That was an unhealthy and ungodly thing to do.

One pretends to be rich but is poor. Another pretends to be poor but is quite rich.

~Proverbs 13:7 TPT

Being who we are is always better. We don’t have to act in specific ways to acquire the approval and love we deserve or paint ourselves as perfect people. We don’t have to hide the truth of how we feel so we can fit in, and we don’t have to embellish things to make people like us. God says we are okay just the way we are.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

~Jesus Christ; John 15:9 NKJV

God created us in His image. Lean into that truth and accept His love. He must love us a lot because He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. We are enough for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

How does knowing God uniquely created you unravel false perceptions you might believe?

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for not being who You created me to be. Thank You that I don’t have to act, be, or look a certain way to be accepted and loved by You. Please help me to identify any areas of my life where I am not being genuine, so I can begin to heal and recover from any unhealthy mindsets. With Your help, I will become whole. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2021: The Truth About Perfectionism: Brandie J. Muncaster: All Rights Reserved