Resolution for Women – My Best

Resolution for Women – My Best, a resolution to devote myself completely to God’s priorities for my life

This resolution, so fully focused on prioritizing your life in a way that honors God, hit my performance-driven heart pretty hard.

Maybe it’s the (hidden) athlete in me that does it. Or perhaps it’s the people pleasing, self-motivated perfectionist that takes up residence in my personality that drives me to constantly do more, achieve more and be more that made this chapter so difficult.

Take this quote from author Priscilla Shirer for example:

“If you do your best, for example, but you expend much of it on the wrong things, you’ve not only wasted a lot of your energy and resources; you’ve also lost time and opportunities you may never recover.” 

As soon as I read that my mind flashed back to a conversation I had with my pastor a couple summers ago about excellence vs. perfection, where he told me:

“Perfectionists spend an inordinate amount of time on a few select things or tasks trying to do them perfectly. Their other tasks and obligations suffer as a result, because either A. They do enough to get them done because they ran out of time, or, B. they don’t do them at all.” –Michael Durham

So, needless to say, this section encourages obedience and faithfulness in the necessary priorities of your life and was a much needed reminder to not waste the majority of my time trying to do everything perfectly but rather do the most important things well.

More than that, it’s not just about focusing on what we define as most important, but allowing God to melt our wants, wishes and worries into what He desires for us. He has a will for our life whether we follow it or not, but will we allow it to take supremacy in our life?

Do our priorities show we treasure Christ as the unparalleled prize of our life?

The following quotes from this section were especially hard hitting:

“It’s not a standard of faultless accuracy and precision but rather an invitation to devote the whole of yourself–your time and your talents–toward the completion of the tasks He’s appointed.”

“It’s encouraging you to cut back, to engage in only those activities in which God’s glory will be seen in this season of your life, and then apply yourself more fully to those.”

“You cannot do a thousand things to the glory of God, but you can do one or two.”

“Trying to do what someone else has been commissioned to do will not honor God, no matter how well we try to do it.”

“Bring your best–all your gifts, skills, talents, and abilities to the task at hand–in this moment, for His glory.
Without a martyr complex.
Even if no one notices.
Even if they notice but don’t appreciate your efforts.
Do it anyway. For His glory.”

This was perhaps the hardest hitting of all:

“By running yourself ragged, trying to do everything morning till night, you’re in essence trying to be God. Overwork is a form of unbelief. You’re saying through your actions that you don’t believe He can take care of everything, meaning you’re on the hook for it. But playing God is exhausting. After all, He’s the only One up to the job.”

STUDY QUESTIONS:

When honoring God is your focus, it pares down your purpose and narrows your focus. Carefully reconsider this sentence in light of your own personal circumstances, then record your thoughts:

How does a focus on honoring God…
a. lighten the burden of the perfectionist?
b. inspire you to give your best effort?

When faced with an activity like this–one that you find particularly challenging–how are you encouraged by knowing that God will empower your efforts designed to bring Him glory?

Ask a wise, honest friend who knows you well how she thinks you’re managing your current priorities.

By signing this resolution, you are choosing not to allow perfectionism to rule your life. You are determining rather, to consider carefully what God has prioritized for you in this season of life, and then examine the unique qualities you’ve been given to bring to those tasks. You are accepting this resolution as an invitation to become fully engaged in today’s assignment and bring all of yourself into every one. You will no longer see taking care of yourself as something to be ashamed of but a requirement to enable you to better serve others. Consider your notes from the previous chapters and then make your resolution with confidence.

The word choice definitely stood out to me in this resolution.
choosing.
determining.
fully engaged.

I had to pray over this resolution more than any of the others thus far because perfectionism and finding my worth and identity in performance is a constant battle for me. But, I want to fight this battle. I want to be prioritized and fully engaged in this season of my life so I can pour into my True Beauty girls more, my church more, the avenues of ministry God has so wondrously laid before me more.

Will you join me?