Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1) Whoever first said, “Life is hard … and then you die” must have been a perfectionist (or a pessimist, or both). Yes, life can be exceedingly difficult, but—as a former(ish) perfectionist, and after decades of counseling perfectionists—I can attest that perfectionism is almost assuredly the hardest way of life. To put it another way, perfectionism is Continue Reading
Battling Fear and Anxiety
For as long as I can remember, my life was marked by an off-and-on battle with fear and anxiety. Many of these worries centered around not measuring up – either to God or to other people. And these worries led to intense thoughts of shame and condemnation. Throughout this whole journey, I had grown up in the Church. I called myself a Christ follower. I could recite to you verses like Ephesians 2:8-9: “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the Continue Reading
Performance = Value
The Lies (Part 3) [ Read Part 1 and Part 2 of Truth & Lies ] Lie #1: Performance = Value My value comes from my performance. The first specific lie we'll look at in our series on Truth & Lies is the one that says: My value is based upon my performance. In other words, believing how well we are performing or how much we have achieved determines our value. This lie tells us that doing enough good works, or attaining a certain level of perfectionism will somehow make us worthy of Continue Reading