Perfectionism - at a cost

To be really candid with you, I sometimes grow weary of always trying to meet the expectations of others.

To my credit, it bothers me a lot less nowadays, in knowing that I will never be perfect.

I will never be the perfect husband.

I will never be the perfect dad.

I will never be the perfect pastor.

I will never be the perfect Christian.

But here's what I know:  While other people around me expect me to be perfect, I can relax in my imperfections.

In fact, I SHOULD relax in my imperfections, knowing that I can actually be a BETTER husband, dad, pastor and follower of Christ if I do so.

Here is a great example, one that we here in Chicago remember and relate to.

On April 12, 2012, the White Sox's pitcher Philip Humber pitched a perfect game.  That is, he retired 27 batters in a row.

No walks, no hits.  Only 18 other Major League Baseball pitchers have achieved that feat, in the 108 year old history of the game.

But in November of the same year, he was cut by the team.

What was his one flaw?  What was it that threw him down a downward baseball spiral?

One deadly character flaw - perfectionism.

And article in Sports Illustrated stated this:

"For one magical April afternoon, Philip Humber was flawless.  But that random smile from the pitching gods came with a heavy burden:  the pressure to live up to a standard no one can meet.  The biggest problem with Humber wasn't his talent.  It was, according to those close to him, the unrealistic expectations he set for himself.  "He's a perfectionist," says Robert Ellis (a former mentor to Humber).

Humber admitted, "After the game it was like, I've got to prove that the prefect game was not a fluke - I almost felt like I had to prove that I deserved to be on that list.  I was thankful for it, but at the same time I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that this wasn't a joke.  I'm really good enough to do this.

Every time Humber took the mound, he tried to be the pitcher he was in Seattle - but competence seemed unattainable, much less perfection.  In his next start, he allowed nine runs in five innings.  Two outings later he was bombed for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings.  Every time he fell short of the new standard he set for himself, he pushed himself harder.

He began spending more time than ever in the video room.  He played with every imaginable grip for his pitches.  He threw extra bullpen sessions.  He rain more, lifted more.  He asked teammates how they dealt with their struggles.  He couldn't understand why he couldn't recapture the magic.  "I just feel lost," Humber said."

The article concluded with a ray of hope:  "Philip Humber doesn't know what twill come next in his baseball story.  This he knows:  He's done chasing perfection."

As a follower of Christ, we must let go of our perfectionism.  We must let go of expecting ourselves to be perfect and others.

I know of "Christians" who are harder on others than God is.

Only Christ is perfect.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.