Hello Friends! I hope you’re doing well. I’m not going to waste any time getting into today’s topic: perfectionism in Bible Journaling. I think there are very few people who can’t claim that they are a perfectionist when it comes to some aspect of life. Whether it be cleaning, cooking, work, or hobbies, most of us can relate to wanting to be perfect. If not, count yourself lucky.
Perfectionism can be a good thing certainly. It challenges us to put forth our best foot. It helps us work hard and with integrity. It’s the voice in our heads that tells us we can be better. However, sometimes that voice gets a little carried away. Am I right?
Sometimes we never end up finishing a project because we want it to be just perfect. Perhaps we turn in work or create something that really is good quality, but we talk negatively to ourselves about it because it’s not as perfect as we envisioned. Sometimes the voice says, “why even bother, you can’t do it right anyway.” So we end up not doing anything at all.
When it comes down to it, perfectionism is rooted in pride. We want to be the best – to be better than others. We don’t want others to think poorly of us or see something we’ve created and think it’s bad.
This prideful mentality has no place in Bible journaling and I’ll tell you why. Bible journaling is not about creating perfect masterpieces – although that’s a perk sometimes. It’s not about showing off our creations – although it’s nice when we can encourage, inspire and share with others. Bible Journaling is about worshiping God. When we are prideful, we start to worship ourselves rather than God.
Plain and simple: Bible Journaling is not about glorifying yourself, your creations, your abilities or anything of the sort. Bible journaling is about glorifying The Father. We glorify God simply by getting into his word, praying and deepening our relationship with him. Whether the page we create is a visual masterpiece or a piece of trash, we must approach Bible Journaling with humility, ready to worship God.
I must also share that I am a recovering perfectionist. Particularly since we’ve started Faith Heirlooms, I constantly have to remind myself that it’s ok to have pages that aren’t perfect. I struggle with being paralyzed from creating for fear of “ruining” a page. I get frustrated when a pages doesn’t turn out the way I envisioned. And I definitely refuse to share my least favorite pages on social media.
The page featured today is a perfect example of one that I had envisioned completely different than it turned out. I had mistake after mistake. I’d told myself this is one I just wouldn’t share. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the scripture focused on humility. God had a message for me, and I heard loud and clear: “This page isn’t for your glory, Leah. This page is for my glory.” So here it is today, the featured page of the blog – for God’s glory, not mine.
Perfectionism is hard to avoid, it creeps in sneakily and before you know it you’ve fallen into it’s snares. I want to encourage you that it can be avoided though, with a little bit of intentionality. So here are three tips to help you avoid perfectionism in your Bible Journaling journey:
1. Centering Yourself
Start by thinking about what you are trying to accomplish with your time. I’m hazarding a guess that you’re in the word to Worship God. So say a prayer and ask God to speak to you and praise Him in advance for how He will.
Sometimes I do a centering prayer to put myself in the right place and God in His right place. I breath in saying “more of you, God” and I breath out saying “less of me.” I do this, breathing in and out several times, until it sinks in. This prayer helps me to enter my time with God with humility and a right attitude.
2. Call The Liar Out
Get started and if you are having fears and doubts about what the page with look like (before, after, or during) name them and call them out. If you start feeling upset at the outcome of the page pause and re-center. Those thoughts are from Satan, who doesn’t want you to grow deeper in your relationship with God. He wants to distract you and hinder you from getting into The Word. He would prefer for pride to get in your way, and for you to feel like you can only bring God worship once you’ve already accomplished perfection. Those are lies. Call them what they are.
“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Mark 12: 43-44
3. Embrace your Mistakes
If you are creating in your pages you are bound to make some mistakes. It’s a hazard of creativity. We aren’t perfect people, scripture tells us plainly that we fall short. This opens the door for us to worship God even more if we embrace it. In our bad handwriting, misplaced paint and misspelled words, we are able to experience God’s grace anew, and that’s worth celebrating.
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:20-21
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
So friends, I hope that you’ve been able to find some hope in this challenging topic. If you’re also a recovering perfectionist, I hope you know you’re not alone. However, I hope you know there is a better way to approach Bible Journaling. It’s not easy, and it’s something that doesn’t have a one-time easy fix. We must continually practice humbling ourselves to worship God. If you are new to Bible Journaling and are still a bit intimidated by getting started check out this post: A Guide to Getting Started. Comment Below and share your thoughts on how you avoid perfectionism in Bible Journaling. Let’s encourage and lift eachother up as we all worship God together.
