Protection, Not Perfection
- Imogen Cook
- Dec 30, 2021
- 10 min read
For me, the past couple of months have been a huge lesson on one very specific thing. It’s something that God has been trying to tell me for years, but I couldn’t seem to catch on. It is the idea that we need to stop striving for perfection, and instead, strive for protection.
I’ll be completely honest, I’ve only been learning about this for a couple of months, so I’m not an expert, and I can only say what I feel God is wanting me to say. I myself don’t completely understand what I am about to tell you, but I do know that God has impacted me hugely with these realisations.
I’m on a journey, and I wanted to share with you what I have learned so far.
Have you tried to be perfect, but when you can’t keep up with it, you fall hard? For me, I’ve found that I can go to two extremes. Either I’m hurting myself trying to be perfect by doing everything right for my health and wellbeing, or I’m hurting myself by neglecting my health and wellbeing. Finding a good balance is one of the hardest things to accomplish in life. This is why I look to the One who created me. He knows me best and knows exactly what I need in order to find this balance in my life.
Shout out to Pastor Rick Warren for pointing this out to me in the Daniel Plan Bible Study video series:
“God tells us to protect our body. Why? Because God created your body, Jesus paid for your body and the Holy Spirit lives in your body.” - Ps Rick Warren, Saddleback Church.
God took this truth from the first time I heard it, and implanted it within me; in my heart and mind. Every choice I make needs to bring honour to God, especially in how I treat myself.
Let me slip in a nod here to our good friend, Steve Rogers AKA the original Captain America. When we look back to before he became a super soldier, Steve was a weak and small asthmatic with a ton of other medical issues. But he had a desire to fight. He didn’t care that he wasn’t physically perfect. He wanted to do what he could to protect the country he called home.
We should have the same mindset. Don’t focus on being perfect, focus on protecting what you have been given. Following God’s guidance and making the right choices will bring glory to Him, and will also help you to thrive! It’s not an easy journey but giving up our old ways of doing things brings a huge amount of blessing!
Protection, not perfection. How do we do this?
Let’s look at the four things we have, that when treated right will protect us from living a dark and unfulfilling life. Instead, we can live free without the pressure to be perfect. Though I talk about these things separately, they work together holistically to give us the best quality of life possible.
Our Spirit
I start with our spirit because it is truly the most important aspect of our lives. Our spirit is our connection to God. We are able to access the power of the Holy Spirit through our spirit, which God gave us when we accepted His Son Jesus. Through our relationship with God, we are to use our spirit to praise Him, worship Him, and connect with Him.
“For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
What we need to be careful with is what the world says about our spirits. People might say their spirit is connected to the universe, to a spirit guide or animal, or their spirit is the embodiment of positive energy and enthusiasm. Anything that is being welcomed into a person’s life through spirituality, which is not from the one true God, is an invitation for “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world” (Ephesians 6:12) to create havoc in people’s lives.
Along with Jesus (Romans 8:34), I plead for you to protect your spirit. Let’s take a look at some practical things we can do to accomplish this.
Practical Tips:
Communication with God is of the utmost importance. Praying (which is just talking to God) is the beginning and the first thing that needs to happen. Make this a daily occurrence as soon as you wake up. Greet Him, thank Him and commit the day to Him. Then chat to Him throughout the day about anything and everything, just like you would to your most treasured friend.
Soak yourself in the words of God. Reading and studying your Bible is one of the best ways God can speak to you. This helps your connection with God become tighter because you are learning about who He is, and what He can do for you. How do you expect to get closer to someone if you don’t take the time to learn about them?
Listening to uplifting worship and Christian music brings us closer to God. Worshipping God means we humble ourselves before Him, giving Him praise for all He has done, all He is doing, and all He will do. When we truly worship, we surrender to God and give Him control to do what He knows is best.
These things strengthen our spirit in such an amazing way, and when our spirit is strong, we can better protect the rest of ourselves. All with the knowledge that God is in control.
Our Soul
Our soul is what we use to glorify God and it is who we are as human beings. It is what makes us human. Of course, being human means that we are not perfect. Therefore, we can’t use our soul to experience a connection with God, that is what our spirit is for. However, because we are imperfect, our soul is used to magnify the power of God as we allow Him to work through our flaws and weaknesses.
Our soul is also what will ascend into heaven when our time on this earth is done. Therefore, it needs to be protected and looked after during our time on earth. This is why I urge you to be careful about who and what you let into your life. If you follow the things of this world, and take your eyes off Jesus, in the end there will be disaster.
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
In the words of Tori Kelly, “If you lose your soul, you lose it all.” To prevent this, let’s take a look at some practical things you can do to make sure your soul is being protected.
Practical Tips:
Practice listening. This is so important in our relationships. You don’t need to agree with everything people say, but hearing them out first can stop a lot of automatic defences. Vocally stating your defence to people’s accusations or opinions can lead to a lot of misunderstood feelings. Listening first will give you time to think through your response, stopping hurt from festering in your soul.
Identify how you react to situations that arise. We can’t always control our circumstances, but it’s knowing how to react to them that will keep your soul clean. The key here is to be thankful even though things go wrong. This takes practice and sometimes you need to look hard, but the good is always there! Ask God to show you what’s good in your circumstances.
Uproot your bitter fruit. There are so many things that happen in our lives that we can easily take as hurtful or offensive and let it sit and simmer, giving us a murky soul. Or sometimes we’re just fighting internal struggles. Find yourself a mentor. Someone who is a strong Christian and who has looked to God in all situations. Someone who you can tell everything to, and who can give you truthful and helpful advice. But most importantly, someone who can pray for you and fight for you in the spiritual realm.
Our Mind
“I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”
The mind leads everything. It is where our thoughts live, which become decisions, which then become actions. I can say from experience that if you don’t submit your mind to God on a daily basis, your mind will be wandering out in the world just looking for someone or something to grab it’s attention. When you submit to God, temptations and trials don’t go away. However, you are given the strength and ability to run from them or for God to help you through them.
Let’s be realistic, distractions and temptations will continue. But to make a conscious choice to give God control of your day each morning, makes a world of difference! Most importantly, you understand the grace that God has given you. Grace that says, “I’m not interested in perfection, but I will serve you Lord to the best of my ability, with what you have given me”. This is truly freeing!
Practical Tips:
Be careful what you watch and hear. Sex, violence, lies, manipulation, and much more continue to be on almost every screen, audio channel, and media source we see. You need to watch out for the messages that the media is sending. It all seems like terrific entertainment (believe me, I have told myself that lie a lot), but pretty soon, you’ve subconsciously taken on negative things that are corrupting your mind, and possibly your actions too. A movie in the comedy genre could be filled with bullying and objectification. The song ranking #1 on the billboard charts could have a catchy beat, but when you listen to the lyrics, they’re filled with lies, and brutal language. The challenge is to not participate just because something is popular.
Be careful who you listen to. Community is a gift from God. We are better together and I encourage the strengthening of relationships. But, be aware of those who aren’t adding value to your life. Maybe you need to reevaluate your relationship with some people? There are a lot of fine lines here, so I definitely recommend speaking to your mentor about this. When you have a truthful, Godly mentor, they can help you figure out the value of your relationships. Prayer for guidance in these situations must also be compulsory.
Count your blessings. I have recently started writing down my blessings for the day just before I go to bed. I love this hugely, as it’s helped to focus my mind on what is good in my life. This takes my mind off any negative thoughts and sets me up for a peaceful night. I have also noticed that I’m thinking of my blessings throughout the day, especially when things go differently from what I imagined. This is part of renewing your mind, and helps it stay focused on the goodness of God.
Our Body
Where would we be if we didn’t have a body to hold our spirit, soul and mind? Our body is what helps us serve God. It is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and was designed specifically and uniquely by God for each of us.
You must use your body according to the plan that God has laid out for you. As our bodies aren’t perfect and things happen out of our control, you must protect it through what you can control and let God do the rest.
“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified.”
This verse hit me hard when I first read it. If God has put me in a position of speaking into the lives of other people, I need to do what I can in order to be a good role model. Not only this, but I need to protect the health of my body so that God can use me wherever He needs me.
Pastor Rick Warren also explains this idea in the Daniel Plan Bible Study video series. We can try to perfect our bodies with expensive procedures and formulas, but because of the rate of decay from the world’s sinful nature, this doesn’t work. This is why it’s truly important to protect our bodies.
Practical Tips:
Focus on eating unprocessed foods. The food industry has hijacked our taste buds by adding lots of extra chemicals to food in order to make it taste ‘better’. I have indeed fallen victim to this and it has made me feel lethargic for a long time. But focusing my diet on real, wholesome foods has turned my energy and mood around for the better. This is a big change, especially if you are constantly on the go. I recommend giving the Daniel Plan a try. This plan made me see a whole new way of living, and it is responsible for everything you have just read.
Move your body. I was the queen of laziness until God put a desire in me to exercise on a regular basis. What a difference it makes to your overall well being! The key is to find something you like, something that gets you excited to move your body. For me, I follow workouts from a Youtube channel called Grow with Jo. Jo is an honest and relatable woman with a big smile. She’s also a Christian! I love her workouts to Gospel music, it’s a real win when you can move your body and praise God! Find what works for you!
Get a good night’s sleep. I have lost count of how many people have told me they’re a light sleeper, or keep waking up in the night. Every time I hear this, I feel guilty. I often think back to falling asleep in less than a minute and having a solid deep sleep until my alarm wakes me up. There are a number of reasons why people can’t sleep, and it’s slowing down their energy output and clear mind for the next day. Ask God for guidance here, and for Him to point out the things you need to change in order to catch those Zzz’s.
Keep your body pure. Too often, young people feel pressure to lose their virginity or at least get intimate with someone before their time at school is done. If you know your Bible, you know that sex should be for the marriage bed (Hebrews 13:4). That’s because your sexual purity is a gift from God and the act of sex, which is also a gift from God, is to be shared with the person that God has prepared for you. Ask God to give you strength and patience if the time hasn’t come for you. God will see your obedient heart and you will be blessed.
I know this was another long one, but I pray you get something useful out of this blog! I was very excited to share what I have learnt when it comes to protection, not perfection. May what I have written be encouraging to you, especially as we head into a new year!
Do you have any practical tips for protecting yourself? Share them in the comments below!
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