She was a truly lovely young woman. Long light brown hair and shining blue eyes. Easy smile and quick giggle that invited friendship. Attractive figure resulting from disciplined eating and regular exercise.

Her overseas team leaders adored her, and peers chose her as a confidant and hang-out pal. Leadership oozed from her in an engaging way. She mastered the local language and loved other cultures, and she even bravely lived with local families on some weekends to experience full ethnic immersion.

“I have overwhelming anxiety every day. I have a very hard time relaxing. Sometimes I can hardly breathe,” she told me when we began counseling. “I always feel I need to do more, be more, try harder. I hate it when I can’t be that person. That perfect person. God is probably disappointed in me, too.”

What makes Christians so insecure? We love God and believe He deserves our best. Sadly, this mindset can dangerously lead us to pursue perfection. Does He really expect that? Or is it just our expectations of ourselves that lead us to believe God does, too?

We must remember we are not our own, we belong to God. We are called to serve Christ and He is the One who is perfect, not us.

Hebrews 10:12-14 (MSG) says, “As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.”

We must allow Christ to be the perfecter of our lives. As we learn to trust Him, He will change us from the inside out, and we will become the best version of ourselves. Not perfect, but free to enjoy the journey of life, not aiming for perfection as the destination.

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6