{"id":26410,"date":"2019-09-06T03:30:32","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T10:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=26410"},"modified":"2019-09-05T15:08:55","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T22:08:55","slug":"september-6-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2019\/09\/06\/september-6-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"September 6, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cAnd Jesus answered and said to her, \u201cMartha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Luke 10:41<\/p>\n

Still Recovering<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cHello, my name is (you fill in the blank) and I\u2019m a recovering perfectionist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not to make light of those who have addictions and have recited that sentence as part of a helpful program, but I do want to share how the Lord got my attention about an obsessive desire for perfection in my home.<\/p>\n

Years ago, my husband and I planned a delightful vacation to an island paradise.\u00a0 All my life I\u2019d wanted to make such a trip and experience the tropical wonders I\u2019d only read about in magazines. Visions of lush green rain forests, cascading waterfalls, colorful birds, and grass huts all danced in my head in a continuous loop of anticipation.<\/p>\n

We excitedly made our reservations, and thankfully, we knew a couple that graciously offered to stay at our house to take care of our chores and pets.\u00a0 Wonderful! What could be more perfect than that? Uh, well, maybe my house<\/em>? Ah, yes, that old enemy, perfectionism, once again was rearing its ugly head.<\/p>\n

So began my internal, Mr. Clean-spit-shine-inspection of all things home-related.\u00a0\u00a0 From cupboards to shelves, bathrooms to bedrooms, closets to drawers, it all had to be clean, clean, clean; no, beyond\u00a0<\/em>clean. Heaven forbid that someone would see those rascally food-bit crumbs in my silverware drawer. And what about those raggedy potholders? I\u2019m embarrassed to say, I marched right down to the store and purchased new ones\u2014pronto!<\/p>\n

The funny thing is, I still have those potholders, by now also\u00a0<\/em>a bit on the tattered side. They\u2019re a sad reminder of such incredible folly so long ago. Well, it turns out, I\u2019d apparently worked myself into a frenzy\u2014my nerves were shot, my back was aching, and to top things off, a week before our scheduled departure, I woke up with a cold that turned into bronchitis. No, no, no, this just can\u2019t be happening.<\/p>\n

Well, sadly, our trip was cancelled. Somewhere in the midst of the disappointment and the hacking cough, I began to realize what I\u2019d done. Seriously, I put my fear of what others may think of me ahead of all else and especially ahead of God\u2019s wisdom. I\u2019d turned into a \u201cMartha\u201d overnight\u2014a woman \u201cworried and troubled about many things.\u201d Lord, have mercy!<\/p>\n

Eventually, my husband and I did make that amazing trip\u2014a year later. But within that year of waiting, I heard the Lord gently showing me the error of my ways. Martha wasn\u2019t such a bad\u00a0<\/em>lady; just someone like me, who temporarily forgot that her worth was found in Christ, not outward appearances.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Lord, forgive us when we get so wrapped up in \u201cappearance\u201d, our homes, our bodies, our lives, that we forget our true value can only be found in You. Help us have eternal mindsets, focused on You and Your kingdom. Amen!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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