Not being perfect

One of my weaknesses (amongst many of them) is that I can be really hard on myself. It's not often that I need someone to come along and point out what I've done wrong (although I need accountability just like anyone else) - I tend to go the other extreme and never give myself a break.

It's something I have struggled with since I was a youngster. How much is enough? How "perfect" do I have to be?

I had a friend and brother tell me the other day, "Thanks for the message. I don't want to give you the "big head" or anything but you did a good job today."

While I appreciated his comment about my teaching, I instantly thought to myself, "Not much problem here about me getting the "big head." In fact, the teaching he was refering to - I thought was a disaster.

Sometimes when that happens, I just want to point my finger up at God and say, "You", "YOu", in a Robert DeNero kind of way.

Here's a thought - God can work especially when we are the weakest. It's a principle that is shown continually throughout the Bible.

But back to my original thought. Sometimes (for those of us who struggle with perfection) we just need to give ourselves a break.

Listen to this story:

"Noble Doss dropped the ball. One ball. One pass. One mistake. In 1941, he let one fall. And it's haunted him ever since. "I cost us a national championship," he says.

The University of Texas football team was ranked number one in the nation. Hoping for an undefeated season and a berth in the Rose Bowl, they played conference rival Baylor University. With a 7-0 lead in the third quarter, the Longhorn quarterback launched a deep pass to a wide-open Doss.

"The only thing I had between me and the goal," he recalls, "was twenty yards of grass."

The throw was on target. Longhorn fans rose to their feet. The sure-handed Doss spotted the ball and reached out, but it slipped through.

Baylor rallied and tied the score with seconds to play. Texas lost their top ranking and, consequently, their chance at the Rose Bowl.

"I think about that play every day," Doss admits.

Not that he lacks other memories. Happily married for more than six decades. A father. Grandfather. He served in the navy during World War II. He appeared on the cover of Life magazine with his Texas teammates. He intercepted seventeen passes during his collegiate career, a university record. He won two NFL titles with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texas High School Hall of Fame and the Longhorn Hall of Honor include his name.

Most fans remember the plays Doss made and the passes he caught. Doss remembers the one he missed. Once, upon meeting a new Longhorn head coach, Doss told him about the bobbled ball. It had been fifty years since the game, but he wept as he spoke."

There comes a point in time when we have to let things go - and realize that only God is perfect - and that sometimes we are harder on ourselves than God is.