Perfection & Pressure Again?

There seems to be a recurring theme in my life this week.  Everything I read or watch or pray seems to reiterate the idea that we all put too much pressure on ourselves.  There seems to be this ultimate quest for perfection.
The facts remain, though.  None of us can be perfect, no matter how much we plan, or work, or study. Excellence can happen, but perfection is not possible in our humanity.  We will only achieve perfection when we are called Home to Heaven and become like Jesus.

So why do we choose to lock ourselves up in a prison of pressure?  In our earthly quest, we do not reach perfection.  What we do instead is create a trap for ourselves.  We become slaves to our self-inflicted impossible expectations.  All this focus on our to-do list can sometimes take our minds off the Father.  And hasn't He told us that if we seek Him first, He'll give us all we need? Matthew 6:33
I posted something about this in January of this year.  Is a repost cheating? Oh well, nobody's perfect. ;) Here it is again. 
There's something inside of me that wants everything to be perfect right now... Like if I think of it, it should become what I want it to be the minute I think of it. Whether it's a clean house, a craft project, a lesson plan, I want it right then & there, and done to perfection.

Sadly, there's another part of me in constant battle with the first part.  This other part knows that perfection cannot be met. This part of me gets overwhelmed with all the ideas that cannot be finished. This part of me often paralyzes me, keeping me from getting anything done.

I feel that no one understands this part of me. They must see it as laziness, flakiness, unreliability.  So already bathed in the fears of imperfection and incompletion, I cover myself with a layer of guilt and the worry that I'm not enough-- that I can't measure up. Then to top it all off I dress up in bitterness accessorized by a sharp tongue. I do not feel good in this outfit & it makes my loved ones miserable.

Why is it that no matter how much I plan or how hard I work, something always seems to be left undone? Time is always running out, and I always feel guilty about something that I didn't do?
I don't think it's just me.  So many of us are way too worried about what others think when we should really only be worried about what God thinks.  What freedom we would experience if we lived in the confidence that comes with knowing we followed Him, but instead, we overwork our bodies, our minds, our relationships in this quest to impress.

 I know in my heart that God's wish for me is that I'd break free from this binding uncomfortable outfit, that I'd unravel this cloak of fear, worry, and guilt. My Father wishes that I'd do what His word says in Colossians 3, clothe myself "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience," and over it all to "put on love".

I know what He wants, yet even though I try to do His will, I can't seem to shake free from my chains of doubt, weariness, and just down-right stubbornness. Anybody else feel like this?
Guess where those chains came from.  You know the answer.  They were forged in the same fires that the Enemy always uses.  He's studied us closely and he knows just how to weigh us down and bind us up.  But we belong to a "Chainbreaker".  (Check out that amazing song by Zach Williams if you get a chance.) Jesus can and will loose those chains!  He can free you from the accessories of guilt and busyness that the Devil tricks us into wearing.  In Jesus, we can be clothed in the freedom garments of Colossians 3.

Times like these, when I'm feeling used up & not enough, I need these words from Psalm 34:5, "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." It means everything to know that if I keep my eyes on the Lord, I will be alright. Or when I just don't want to do anything because I know I can't finish, I am motivated to keep moving by these words from Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." 

Note: Georgia Font Highlighted type is new today 7/13/2017.  Check out the original post "What to Wear" 1/23/2017 by clicking below. 
 https://graceguitarsandreddirt.blogspot.com/2017/01/what-to-wear.html