There’s a time for our perfection and it may not be now.
A really good friend told me recently he didn’t always see the point to my posts. So, I want to be intentional about today’s. I want to share hope by letting you know you can give yourself and others a break when seeking perfection. This includes understanding God and the way He works.
I need this more than anyone. My Myers-Briggs Personality Type is ISTJ. I won’t spend much time on this other than to tell you the “J” stands for Judging. “J” is a good fit for me because it says I prefer to be planning and organized rather than spontaneous and flexible.
I love the following quote as it describes me to a tee, whether it’s applicable to others or not.
“Whether at home or at work, ISTJs are nothing if not reliable, particularly when it comes to inspecting the people and things in their jurisdiction—quietly seeing to it that uniform quality of product is maintained, and that those around them uphold certain standards of attitude and conduct.” – David Keirsey, Please Understand Me II
I need to know there is room for flexibility and fun.
Have you ever had someone tell you to do something or give you instructions followed by “Are we clear?”
I’ve had that happen to me. It’s not always an easy question to answer. Many times your answer is based on the information you have at hand.
For example, if someone tells you, “Color this balloon red.” That’s pretty simple isn’t it? There’s an uncolored balloon and they want it red. You go to your crayon box and sit in front of the blank balloon.
Did they mean bright red or dark red? Or maybe imperial red, maroon, scarlet, carmine, crimson, or oh my, any one of twenty to forty other known shades of red. Now, that you’re not sure of which red, you start to ask other questions.
Did they want it colored right now? By tonight? Tomorrow? If I have until tomorrow, maybe I have time to ask more clarifying questions. Would they like it outlined? Would they want some shading? Do they care in which direction I color? What if they prefer I color in a circular motion? Would they want a lighter spot in the upper portion to show the sun reflecting off the balloon?
All this from “Color this balloon red.”
Now imagine you get a more complicated request. “Build me a house.” Or, “Tell me how to get to the most beautiful place in Spain.” You’re going to need a while for those—and a lot more information.
Here’s the point. Even with simple things, we don’t know everything.
Think about the Apostle Paul. Do you think he knew much about Jesus? Theology? Christianity?
He did. Jesus met with Paul personally on the road to Damascus and called him to an amazing mission. On that road, Jesus told Paul to go into Damascus to receive further instructions. Paul did as he was told and once there, Ananias gave him more of the story.
Ananias said, “The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.”
Did you see that? “…God… has appointed you to know His will…”. (italics mine)
If anyone knew God’s will, it would be Paul. But then, Paul said later in 1 Corinthians 3:12,
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
He acknowledged his inability to know everything about God. Surely, we don’t know everything about God. To me, that also means we don’t know everything about everything.
So, when you’re beating yourself up over not doing something exactly right, or when you “inspect the people and things in your jurisdiction—quietly seeing to it that quality of product is maintained”, feel free to give yourself and them a break.
Likewise, you, like everyone else probably experience things you don’t understand. You may ask questions like, “Why God?” That’s okay. Though we don’t fully understand, He does. He has you and your situation in His hands.
There will be a time for our perfection and it’s probably not now.
Easier said than done? Let us know what you think.
Myers-Briggs information and quote from https://www.truity.com/personality-type/ISTJ
Tim, thank you for the reminder. As an IS (F slightly more than T) J, I get it. Thankfully God partnered me with an ENFP husband who is fun-loving and spontaneous and through his influence, makes me a better person. Another lesson is to treasure the diversity of personalities that God places in our lives and allow their influence to make us more like Jesus, the only perfect person who has ever lived. Thank you for continuing to share your journey and your encouraging words through your posts.
Thank you Kathy. I love it! You are so right. God did the same for me by giving me Sarah. We often joke saying that together we make a whole person, and always one team. I appreciate your insight–very helpful to me and I’m sure others.
Thanks so much for the reminder that we don’t have to have all the answers or do everything perfectly Tim. So many of us are way too hard on ourselves and think we need to have it all figured out. As Kathy said above, we need to take the lesson God is giving us in treasuring “the diversity of personalities that God places in our lives and allow[ing] their influence to make us more like Jesus.” God created us to be in relationship, both with Him and with one another. What better way to ensure that happens than to create us so that we need one another? I especially love this statement: “There will be a time for our perfection and it’s probably not now.” If we can remember that, we can release ourselves from our need to be perfect. Thanks again for a wonderful reminder!
You’re welcome and thank you for sharing your thoughts.