Dear Christian, Stop Trying to Be That Perfect Character

We pretty much all know those “perfect” characters—the cliched, overdone Mary Sues. The ones that are flawlessly perfect, really smart, with winning personalities and easy ways to get what they want.

Those are one of my biggest pet peeves in fiction. It makes them so hard to relate to. Nothing makes me want to root for pure perfection.

But this blog post isn’t about perfect characters. It’s about what we as Christians are trying to be. And that is perfect.

We live in a society that either promotes sin or promotes self-redemption. After all, we’ve all pretty much heard of the ways to combat depression, look polished on the outside, and help yourself.

I’m sure we’ve all fallen into that trap of trying to be perfect. I can’t count how many times I’ve woken up in the morning thinking to myself: I’m going to try and think before saying anything. I’m going to pray a ton and look good on the outside so people will think I’m perfect.

Brushing up my appearance and pretending to be a perfect Christian just doesn’t work. Because as I’m showing off my pretend perfection, I’m still sinning.

Why are we, as Christians, striving for perfection?

Why are we trying so hard to look brushed up on the outside? Shouldn’t we be an example of God’s imperfect followers, relying on Him and His goodness rather than our own strength?

Because if we were all perfect, we wouldn’t need God. Just like Adam and Eve thought they didn’t, and they sinned and ate of the forbidden fruit.

If God wanted us to be perfect, why would He have commanded us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”? (Luke 4:11)

If we want to take a look at the Bible, the people God used were certainly the opposite of Mary Sue characters. Peter denied Christ, Jacob was a liar, Noah got drunk, and Joseph was imprisoned. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Jesus died when mankind was still imperfect. He died because we were imperfect and would never be anything else.

Now, I’m not saying because you are saved to go out, steal, and use God’s name in vain. But once God has saved us, we will no longer be relying on our own strengths to appear perfect. Because that’s not the standard. That’s not what it takes to be saved.

The Ten Commandments were to not require the Israelites to be perfect—they were to reveal the imperfection of people. To show the Israelites that they really couldn’t do it on their own strength.

And it’s applicable to us today, even. We—no matter how much we try to brush up our lives—will never be perfect until we reach heaven. Now, if we allow God to work in our lives, through us, day by day we will become more like Him—loving with the same love that He showed toward us.

In spite of our imperfection.

So in conclusion, Christian teen, please stop trying to be that perfect character. The ones that are flawless, likable, and overly smart.

Those perfect characters are not relatable. And neither are you if you try too hard. God will use your past—and the person you are now—to relate to others who need to feel the love of Christ.

God saved you for the person you are today—a sinner. So He can use the shattered bits of your life to shine His holy, perfect love.

That’s it for today’s blog post! What are your thoughts on perfectionism and practical ways to combat it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!