Peace over Perfection: Enjoying a Good God When You Feel You're Never Good Enough
Ebook
Many Christians, often without even realizing it, struggle with a type of Christian perfectionism. We strive to please God but are plagued with anxiety about making mistakes. We want to do God’s will but live with a self-berating inner voice even as we seek to serve him. We sincerely believe the gospel and love Jesus but struggle with never feeling good enough before God.How can Christians wholeheartedly pursue God without an undercurrent of guilt, fear or anxiety? How can imperfect people experience God's peace while seeking to obey his perfect standards?Author Faith Chang addresses the struggles of her fellow "Christian perfectionists" through meditations on God’s character. With nuance and care, she writes for those who seek to grow in Christ and live for God’s glory yet live in fear of failure. She explores the Bible to show that as God deals with us as in-process people, he is far more merciful, righteous and patient than we may have imagined. As we consider how he interacts bountifully with us, the weary and scrupulous Christian perfectionist will be freed to serve God while experiencing his love and peace.There are prayers between each chapter for specific situations Christian perfectionists face, such as “A Prayer for When You Feel You’re a Fake.” Reflection questions are included for those reading the book in small groups or one to one.
• Written specifically for those who experience perfectionism with regards to their Christian life (as opposed to Christians who are perfectionists in other areas of life)• Thoughtful and nuanced approach—theologically rich and beautifully written.• Prayers between each chapter that can be returned to on specific occasions (see TOC) and small group/one-to-one reflection questions
Introduction1. The Perfectionist’s AcheA Prayer for Rest2. KnowledgeA Prayer for When You Fear You’re a Fake3. MercyA Prayer for When You Hear the Voice of Condemnation4. LawA Prayer for When You Feel Like You’re Always Doing Something Wrong5. PeaceA Prayer for When You’re Afraid to Pray6. PatienceA Prayer for When All You Can See Is All Your Failures7. ProvidenceA Prayer for When You Fear Missing His Voice (For All That’s Left Undone)8. LoveA Prayer for When Your Best Doesn’t Feel Good Enough9. There Remains a RestAppendix: Discussion/Journaling Questions & Resources for Further Study
Relief—that was my experience of reading this wonderful book. Faith has expertly weaved her personal struggles and cultural background together with gospel truth and historical example to produce a deeply comforting and fresh exploration of Christian perfectionism.
Faith Chang is a natural storyteller, a gifted writer, and insightful and encouraging. In my anxious pursuit of perfection, Chang points me to Christ—the founder and perfecter of our faith—and his perfect love casts out my fear.
New authors have a way of bringing fresh perspectives to stubborn struggles. That is what Faith Chang does with perfectionism. If you’ve found yourself pursuing a good goal (holiness) in an exhausting way (perfectionism), Peace over Perfection offers a fresh voice and fresh perspective. Through the hope of the gospel, you’ll learn to pursue godliness in a way that rests in the reality that God is for you—as a good Father. A book rooted in prayer, Peace over Perfection invites you to talk with God about your journey and enjoy his presence in your in-process life.
Reading Peace over Perfection is like arriving at one of the ‘safe homes’ along the path in The Pilgrim’s Progress—a place of sustenance and encouragement to shut out the terrors and temptations that haunt the ‘Christian perfectionist’ in their journey toward the heavenly rest of the Celestial City. Faith’s welcoming tone gives space to exhale and recalibrate, each chapter pairing a specific challenge of perfectionism with gospel help, proving she’s walked the hard paths too. And while reading this book will provide respite, it won’t leave you resting. The discussion questions and prayer prompts—if sincerely applied—will drive you out the door and on the road again, seeking out other pilgrims along the way.
Full of impactful quotes and anecdotes that will most definitely be shared from my pulpit for years to come, Peace over Perfection is written with authentic vulnerability, empathetic understanding, and a deep insight into the heart of God toward his bumbling yet beloved children. Writing as one who has walked and frequently fallen from the arduous tightrope so familiar to fellow perfectionists, Faith invites us off our tightropes altogether, offering us a far better vision that neither downplays our flaws nor cheapens God’s love, but locates us within the firm and tender (nail-pierced) hands of God in order that we might experience the true depths of our sin and yet never without the even higher heights of God’s grace.
Reading this book is like sitting down in a comfortable room with your dear friend, both of you tired after a long day. Faith reminds you of how much you are loved and invites you to lean your head on her shoulder while you both take it all in—the weariness of your souls and the grace of your Savior. Accept this invitation to linger on the Lord’s love and rest.
- Title: Peace over Perfection: Enjoying a Good God When You Feel You're Never Good Enough
- Authors: Esther Liu, Faith Chang
- Publisher: The Good Book Company
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781784989859, 1784989851
- Resource ID: LLS:9781784989859
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-12T18:31:41Z