The Perfectionist in Me

Have you ever had a day when you feel so stressed, tired and restless? I've had many of those days when I am so into jewelry business. My mom and my husband can attest to this perfectionist attitude of mine whenever I do something. I put my heart and my full effort to make something good, which is not bad at all.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? - Matthew 6:26

The Bible says in Colosians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."  We ought to work for anything with our whole heart and it should be for the Lord and not for men. Many times I think I am still doing what I do for the honor of the Lord but the truth is sometimes its for my own gain and for my own self gratification.

I have many of those day when I just feel so tired and my brain just could not function well. I would feel angry at myself but then I am reminded that I think I am becoming too hard on myself. I am reminded that the Lord is the source of my strength and that instead of becoming mad at myself, I should stop and rest sometimes. I should remember to rest and just be in communion with the Lord. Read His Word and meditate upon His goodness in my life.

When I feel frustrated these are the things I will be asking myself:

1. Am I still doing this for the glory of the Lord or for my self gratification? Sometimes we fool ourselves thinking that it is for His honor but let us check our hearts. Let us check our motives because when we do, we will feel the need to humble our selves.

2. Am I being realistic with this goals? Most of the time, we are so idealistic with the goals we set for our selves. I experience this a lot in doing small home-based business because I want it to do well  and be beneficial to me and my family. I wake up in the morning with a pre-occupied mind and a lot of my to dos for the day but when I evaluate it, it is just impossible to accomplish all of them in a day. Unrealistic expectation is truly among the things that causes our frustration both in setting goals and in relationships.

3. Am I still trusting in the Lord's sovereignty? Planning is good thing but we should also remember that Proverbs 16:9 says "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." We can plan all we can but it is the Lord's will that shall be done.