Stop Expecting Perfection, instead PROGRESSION!

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Stop expecting perfection from yourself.
Stop expecting perfection from your neighbour.
Stop expecting perfection from your parents.
Stop expecting perfection from your church leaders.
Stop expecting perfection from your roommates, friends, spouses, children, etc. 

“Except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey were perusing. So while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists might call toxic perfectionism.” -Jeffery R. Holland

Isn't the commandment "to be perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48) such a daunting and overwhelming request? For me, it is.  But living in the fallen world and state that we do, I believe that Heavenly Father isn't commanding us to be perfect and wanting us to feel inadequate and awful about ourselves when we fall short. Truth is, we will probably ALWAYS fall short. We will not achieve perfection alone in this life. That is why we are in so much need of a Saviour. Jesus Christ is the only one who has lived a flawless life and his WHOLE purpose is to HELP YOU & I, all of us! 


In the Book of Mormon we learn a lot about how God will show us our weaknesses, but that He will also help us develop our strengths. He will help us progress and become better tomorrow than we are today. So we need to stop expecting perfection. We too often look at ourselves (or others) and become overwhelmed with our weaknesses. We wonder how we will ever achieve perfection. We often try are absolute best and STILL feel that we are lacking so much. Perfection is pending. We are trying. We will not perform flawlessly, perfection is a gift that we must receive.



Perfection comes by steady steps of progression. Small and simple things bring great things to pass. Recognize the progression when it’s made. Do not be content with where you are, but also don’t destroy yourself in thinking that the climb is too hard, too long, too enduring. You are NOT and you are NEVER alone. Remember that you are brighter than your past and it doesn't matter who you were, only who you ARE. What you are doing today and the changes you are making for tomorrow are what matter. 

On my mission I really learned a lot about not expecting perfection from anyone. I learned that I couldn't expect my friends and family to email me every week. I couldn't expect my companion to never struggle, to never be tired, to always serve me, etc. I learned that I couldn't expect my leaders to be perfect. They were surely human too. But the most valuable lesson I learned was that not only are all of them not going to be perfect, I wasn't either. I didn't have the perfect knowledge of how to answer ever question I was asked. I wasn't always going to know what to say to comfort those around me. There was always something more I could do. I learned that NO EFFORT is wasted. I learned that Heavenly Father could do everything by himself. He does not need our help, but he WANTS us to be involved in His work because it gives us opportunities to progress.

Everything is about progressing. Which comes through repenting, trusting in God, acting on our faith and following the Saviour. Progression was for me as a missionary, my investigators, my companions, but its also for me now. It is for you. We are all here to progress and learn. Keep making those steps forward. Keep believing and trusting in your Saviour. Keep TRYING.

Instead of making the jump to perfection and falling in the gap because the jump was too far, I am going to rely on the Saviour who has built the bridge to fill the gap and i am going to take steps of steady progression to achieve and receive perfection.

The Saviour loves us. He knows us. He walks with us. He can feel the pain, the sorrow, the heartbreak, all of it. He suffered for you so that he could relate perfectly to what you are going through right now. He is the only one who knows what it is like to walk in your shoes. He is knocking at your door wanting to give you a helping hand of comfort, but YOU have to let him in. You have to open the door and let him in.

Draw nearer to the Saviour and He'll draw nearer to you. Christ's gospel will bring pure joy and happiness into your life. I promise that if you rely on the Saviour you can find peace and joy in the midst of adversity. 

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