Is Perfect Good?

I have struggled with perfection not becoming my reality. There have been situations where I wished I had the power to make everything align with what I had in mind. By perfect, I mean making things happen exactly as I intended; without error, without failure, without disappointment, and without anything that could be criticised or rejected.

I struggled because perfection was not becoming my reality. Things were not always agreeable, they were not always my first option, and they did not always turn out the way I had envisioned. Through this struggle, I have come to realise that I am not in control.

If I were truly in control, it would mean that I am moving on my own strength, depending on myself to make everything work, to make every situation perfect, to make every outcome align with my intentions and the picture I have created in my mind. But the struggle continued, and it still continues. I am not in control.

As I wrestled with this, I found myself questioning the idea of perfection. Struggle has a way of doing that. It can confuse you. It can make you question the very things you were once certain about. It can leave you unsure.

So I began asking myself whether perfect was really the goal. My pursuit of perfection had left me familiar with hurt, disappointment, feelings of inadequacy, and the desire to hide. It made me feel as though I should not be seen while struggling because, in my mind, struggle and perfection could never exist together.

Because prayer has become such an important part of my life, I found myself asking God what He thought about perfection.

I did not receive an immediate answer, but I remembered the first chapter of Genesis. As I reflected on the creation account, I noticed something that shifted my perspective. After each act of creation, "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21 and 25). Then, after creating humanity and completing everything, Scripture says:

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31, NIV)

What stood out to me was that God never described His creation as perfect. He called it good; and when everything was complete, He called it very good.

At first, I would have substituted the word good with perfect. After all, God does not make mistakes. He is flawless, and everything He does is without error. But He chose the word good.

That made me realise something profound: perhaps good is higher than perfect.

Maybe perfect is a word we have created and elevated beyond what God intended. We have come to believe that perfection means complete acceptance, flawless performance, and outcomes that satisfy everyone. Yet God, who cannot make mistakes, chose a different word.

If God calls something good, then it is good because it comes from Him. It is good because He approves of it. It is good because it aligns with His purpose. It is good because it is a God thing.

The God who created the heavens and the earth and declared them very good was gently answering the question that had lived in my heart. He was shifting my focus away from chasing perfection and towards seeking His approval.

That shift has been saving me from the confusion that disappointment brings; the confusion that comes when reality does not match my vision, when outcomes do not align with my intentions, when life is not my first option, and when circumstances are not agreeable.

Perhaps the focus was never meant to be perfection.

Perhaps the better question is:

Is this what God approves of?

Is this what He has done?

Is this aligned with His will?

If the answer is yes, then maybe I can rest in the truth that His "very good" is far greater than my idea of perfect.