You Ain’t Never Been Perfect

by Gray Graham

​Previously on Grandposts Inspire, we talked about why you need to stop making New Year’s resolutions year after year that you are not going to do. Today we look at one of the most common resolutions I have seen put out there the past couple of years: I will stop being perfect.

First off, child you ain’t never been perfect. You have never been anywhere close to perfect. The mere fact you felt the need to make a resolution that said you need to stop being perfect means you have never been anywhere close to perfect. The very first thing you need to do is look at things a little differently with a different mindset and a different heart.

When you say you are going to stop being perfect what you are really saying is that you are not happy with some aspect of your life. You are not getting the results that you feel like you deserve. Maybe you are not being loved the way you want to be love. Maybe you are not being helped like you help others. Maybe all your kindness is being repaid with harshness. Something in your life has got you feeling like your acts of perfection are not being appreciated. 

Now ask yourself why do you feel this way and is this how you are supposed to feel. You might be feeling like you are better than those around you so why should you keep trying to do more. You do more than enough already so you shouldn’t have to do more. It’s not going to be appreciated anyway, right?

Here’s the thing, there is nothing wrong with trying to be perfect. When we say perfect we should be saying that we are always trying to be our best. We do this for ourselves and no one else. It is who we are and who we wish to be. Our love of God, ourselves, and others moves us to do these things because that is who we are.

I know it is the cool; in thing to just be your bad self and let everyone else have to deal with you, but is that really how you wish to be? You know you should be giving people your best and not your worst. That’s why you say things like Jesus help me not do this. You know better you are just letting that evil heart sway you. 

The temptation is always strong to do things that you believe will benefit you. The Bible is filled with people that loved God but still sinned. Raise your hand because that applies to every single one of us. Even though we sin God still loves us and He made a way that we can still get close to Him in spite of our sins. And yes we all have sins that we need to repent so we can be saved by God.

It would be easy to just throw your hands up and say forget it all. I am going to stop trying to be better since there is no way I can be perfect especially since it seems I am the only one trying. Instead of thinking like this why not think that I am going to work on these things to help myself and others around me. 

I know this is going to come as a shock to you but I guarantee the people around you don’t think you are perfect. I am sure they have a long list they can share of things that you do wrong. I am going to go a step further and say they probably have shared that list with you. I am going to go even further and say that might be the reason you said you were going to stop trying to be perfect in the first place.

So please stop listening to these charmers and manipulators that keep telling you to do things that are the opposite of what God tells you to do. It doesn’t matter how they come packaged they are all wolves in sheep clothing.  Doesn’t matter what church they pastor, what street corner they evangelizing, what books they write, or how many people are following them on social media, they are all trying to sell you a bill of goods that takes you further away from God’s purpose by telling you what your tempted heart wants to hear instead of what the Spirit is telling you that you need to hear.

So get back to working on that list of things about yourself that you need to work on and your goals in life that you want to achieve that will keep you on the path to the Lord and not worrying about building kingdoms on this earth. Just focus on God and doing your best at all times and you will be fine. Perfection is not the purpose of life anyway, being in the grace and love of God is.