The Mirage of Perfection

A mirage is an illusion that deceives us into believing that something is true. We are captivated by what we think we see and are convinced we must go after it. Perfection is a mirage, one we often follow in the hopes of arriving at an oasis.

Perfectionism is a troublesome condition that leads us to believe something or someone must be without a flaw, and if we work hard enough, perfection is attained. Often, this condition is accompanied by murmurs that say, it’s not good enough, you are not good enough, it’s not pretty, it’s not how I imagined, just work harder.

I often wonder if our desire for perfection has grown exponentially over the last decade as the digital age has entered every aspect of our life — from photos of beautifully plated food to perfectly edited family portraits, to filters on every selfie, to Pinterest perfect dinner parties, to finely decorated homes that belong on the cover of a magazine. The mirage of perfection is tempting, but a mirage in the middle of the desert is still sand.

The lie

I thought that our dog Ella would be perfect. I was sure if we trained hard enough, followed all the expert advice, and stuck to it, Ella would be the envy of many dog owners. Well, I worked hard, put in hundreds of hours of training, read many books and blogs, watched dozens of videos, and worked with professional trainers. And guess what? Ella is far from perfect, and so am I.

The lie of worldly perfection will lead us to go in circles. Home styles will change next year, new filters for selfies will make you even better looking than before, Pinterest party themes will take on a new look, and Chip and Joanna Gaines will launch their latest line of decor for your home.

There is no such thing as worldly perfection. It’s a mirage that makes us believe a wonderful oasis exists in the middle of the desert. There is no oasis in the desert, only sand.

Chasing perfection

The world would have us believe that earthly perfection will bring happiness, fix the brokenness, give us a sense of accomplishment, make us into somebody, and so on, when in fact, nothing can be farther from the truth.

Chasing perfection leaves us disappointed, frustrated, feeling less than, stuck in the game of comparison, and exhausted. As long as I am eyeing worldly perfection, I cannot keep my eyes on Jesus. And keeping my gaze on Jesus reminds me that He is the one I should chase.

A gentle reminder

On a particularly dark and cold morning this week, bundled up in my winter attire, Ella and I jumped in the car and headed to an empty church parking lot for our morning walk.

Mornings with Ella are a bit of a logistical endeavor and walking in our townhome community is far too triggering. Many mornings, the inconvenience of a reactive dog makes for a begrudging dog handler with a lousy attitude, a grumbling heart, wishing for different situation, one that more closely resembles the perfect dog.

As we walked around the church parking lot, my eyes focused on the ground before me, the dark sky gave way to the break of dawn. As the sun rose over the horizon, I stopped to take in the vibrant display of colors, and God gently reminded me to stop looking down sulking over what’s not perfect in my life and instead gaze upon the splendor of who He is.

And suddenly, the worldly grew slightly dimmer in importance.