Help for those struggling with perfectionism and guilt in their Christian walk.
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 Godâs 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 Godâs character. With nuance and care, she writes for those who seek to grow in Christ and live for Godâs 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 pursue God while experiencing his love and peace.
There are prayers between each chapter for specific situations Christian perfectionists face, such as âA Prayer for When You Feel Youâre a Fake.â Reflection questions are included for those reading the book in small groups or one on one.
Introduction
1. The Perfectionistâs Ache
A Prayer for Rest
2. Knowledge
A Prayer for When You Fear Youâre a Fake
3. Mercy
A Prayer for When You Hear the Voice of Condemnation
4. Law
A Prayer for When You Feel Like Youâre Always Doing Something Wrong
5. Peace
A Prayer for When Youâre Afraid to Pray
6. Patience
A Prayer for When All You Can See Is All Your Failures
7. Providence
A Prayer for When You Fear Missing His Voice (For All Thatâs Left Undone)
8. Love
A Prayer for When Your Best Doesnât Feel Good Enough
9. There Remains a Rest
Appendix: Discussion/Journaling Questions & Resources for Further Study
Contributors | Faith Chang, Esther Liu |
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ISBN | 9781784989866 |
Format | eBook |
First published | April 2024 |
Language | English |
Publisher | The Good Book Company |
New authors have a way of bringing fresh perspectives to stubborn struggles. That is what Faith Chang does with perfectionism. If youâve 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, youâll learn to pursue godliness in a way that rests in the reality that God is for youâas 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 âsafe homesâ along the path in The Pilgrimâs Progressâa place of sustenance and encouragement to shut out the terrors and temptations that haunt the âChristian perfectionistâ in their journey toward the heavenly rest of the Celestial City. Faithâs welcoming tone gives space to exhale and recalibrate, each chapter pairing a specific challenge of perfectionism with gospel help, proving sheâs walked the hard paths too. And while reading this book will provide respite, it wonât leave you resting. The discussion questions and prayer promptsâif sincerely appliedâwill 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 Godâs 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 Godâs grace.
This book opened my eyes to the way I was thinking about myself - I was surprised to find I could identify closely with five out of the eight chapters.
Each chapter helpfully examines one aspect of the internal struggles some experience, doing so from a broad Biblical perspective. Then, at the end of the chapter, there is a prayer which draws everything together with tremendous insight, weaving Scripture into those prayers and homing in on the main way in which the struggle manifests itself. Thus, the chapter on God's patience ends with "a prayer for when all you can see are your failures," and the chapter on the way God shows his love to us ends with "a prayer for when your best doesn't feel good enough."
This is a tonic for weary souls, especially for those who wearied by a voice of condemnation from within. It is refreshing and deeply encouraging.
I received Peace Over Perfection compliments of The Good Book Company in exchange for my honest review.
Peace Over Perfection is the debut title by Faith Chang and one that I greatly enjoyed. Iâm not sure if itâs because Iâm a firstborn, but Iâve always considered myself to have a Type A personality. In many ways, and for many years, Iâve put pressure to perform on myself in ways that the Bible doesnât. Peace Over Perfection was such an encouraging read for me. This is a book I can see myself reading again because of how helpful it is. I felt like Faith was with me as a friend gently guiding me to the beauty and freedom of the gospel.
As I read, I felt understood and also relieved that many burdens Iâve placed on myself arenât actually mine to carry. One of the greatest encouragements to me from the book is how Faith gently addresses perfectionists. Rather than just assuming that every Christian who struggles with perfectionism is prideful, Faith acknowledges that those who struggle in this way often have the best intentions and truly do want to honor the Lord.
I found the chapter, Providence, particularly encouraging, comforting, and freeing. It was a sweet reminder of Godâs sovereignty over my imperfections and the beauty of His redeeming power in them. Each chapter concludes with a prayer for the perfectionist written by Faith and the prayers are drawn from Scripture.
Additionally, Faith is an excellent writer which added to my enjoyment in reading. If you are a Christian who struggles with perfectionism, you will be greatly encouraged by Peace Over Perfection. Iâm pleased to give it my highest recommendation and eagerly anticipate reading more by Faith.
This book was a God-send. I have struggled with perfectionism all my life including in my relationship with God. The author's words spoke to and comforted me greatly. It saddened me to learn that others feel and think as I do, but in some ways it also helped to know that I am not alone. I am grateful for her vulnerability in sharing her struggle and her courage to share what God has spoken to her. I hope she writes more in the future. Thank you Faith Chang.
I never saw myself as a Christian perfectionist until I read this book. Perfectionist is not even a word that I would use to describe myself. Do I have areas that I am organized and like those things to stay that way? I most certainly do, but I do not have a great organizational system. It was not until Chang pointed out that Christian perfectionist often struggle with not "getting it right" all the time that leads to this type of perfection.
I often struggle with maybe if I would have shared the gospel in a better way then that person would have become a Christian. Maybe if I knew more about Theology then I would have been able to answer that question. Through reading this book, I was able to see that I often rely on my own power to save a person rather than relying on God. This was a book that I did not know that I needed to read because it pointed out areas in my life that I am not fully putting my trust in the Lord. Instead I spend my time contemplating the "what ifs."
Through out the course of this book, Chang uses her own personal struggles to show we are not alone in our fight against Christian perfectionism. I am grateful for her willingness to share her personal struggles with the world. This book would not have had the same impact on my life if it was not for Chang's vulnerability.
If I am honest, I felt like the prayers at the end of each chapter were very surface level. After being convicted in many ways, I would come to the time of prayer at the end of each chapter and I felt as if those prayers were nothing in comparison to how I was feeling after reading each chapter. Each chapter showed me areas where I was trying to save the word from a life in Hell without the one who can save them.
âThe invitation to come to Jesus is an invitation to be known.â
âPerfectionistâ isnât a word Iâd use to describe myself; my phone storage is always full, I donât have great organizational systems, and if you ride in my van, please donât look around much đŤŁ
But Chang startled me with her description of perfection. âThough we usually define perfection by what it isnât - âwithout fault,â âflawless,â or âfree from errorâ- the fuller meaning of the word is âabsoluteâ or âcomplete,â she states. â[Perfection] smells more like the sweet nectar of a spring garden than the antiseptic of a surgery room.â
Armed with this new perspective, I saw myself in every page, and was left in awe by her encouraging words about who God is and who I am.
The all encompassing feeling from these pages: a deep, soul cleansing breath đ
Youâll love this if you:
â˘have struggled with feeling ânot good enoughâ
â˘have experienced legalistic teaching
â˘are looking for an encouraging, easy read
â˘want gentle encouragement to let go of toxic mindsets
Bonus: In complete honesty, I donât always love prayers/questions at the end of chapters - it can feel so cheesy 𫣠BUT I loved the prayer prompts in this one as much as the content in the chapters.
Some favorite quotes:
âIf drawing nearer to God is the goal, maybe we can aim to return to him a little quicker when we fall instead of staying away because weâre not yet perfect.â
âThrough the law, we see how God fiercely protects the true, beautiful, and good.â
âIn the goodness of creation, God gives me a taste of the Spiritâs freedom. He leads my soul to a spacious place.â
âHe is fully committed to the real, whole you. Fully known, you are truly loved.â
Thank you @thegoodbookcompanyusa for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own đ¤
I originally picked up this book because it resonated so much with the tagline ---- even though I know I am saved by grace, I am constantly trying to earn God's gold star of approval.
I am grateful for Chang's willingness to share her personal struggle with striving for perfection, specifically in the area of her faith. I think we all at times desire to be better,to do better, and that's not inherently wrong. But, it is when we become crippled by our constant repetition of sin, or allow shame and guilt to keep us from seeking God, we have a problem with perfection.
Change does a wonderful job of inviting us into tensionâsanctification is the act of becoming more like Christ, so striving to be more like Him is a good thing. But in that striving, we embrace grace, we turn to Jesus, the perfector of our faith, not shamefully hide from Him.
I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that they are never good enough to be loved by God, whose lack of "getting it right" all the time leads to distancing themselves from the Father.
This was a book I didn't know I needed to read. Faith has clearly yet empathetically described my struggle with a kind of spiritual perfectionism - a sincere belief in the gospel and love for Jesus yet "the constant discouragement that I'm not as joyful, selfless, humble, or loving as I should be as a Christian".
Throughout the chapters, Faith uses lots of Scripture and quotes from Christians before us to help me remember the beauty of the gospel and how God's love and commitment to His people propels me to keep living for Him imperfectly and faithfully, finding rest in my salvation and looking forward to a perfect eternal rest upon completing the race!
I especially love the prayers after each chapter. It has helped me drawn close to the Lord, giving me the words to cast all my struggles and anxieties onto Him.
This book is a balm to weary souls, and a helpful read to those who may resonate with the Christian perfectionism to understand the brothers and sisters around them who might be!
Thank you to The Good Book Company for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book was written for those of us who struggle with guilt and perfectionism in our walk with the Lord. I really appreciated the focus on sanctification and how itâs a process!
âAnd I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.â
ââPhilippians⏠â1âŹ:â6⏠â
This was an encouraging read that focused on finding rest in the Lord by knowing His character and who we are in Him. I felt convicted about how perfectionism and guilt has caused me to focus on myself in my walk with the Lord rather than staying focused on trusting Godâs love for me and His good plans for my life. Peace Over Perfection will help you to focus on the character of God rather than on your fear of not being good enough. This book is very well-written and Chang is vulnerable and relatable. She incorporates scripture throughout the book, a prayer at the end of each chapter and discussion questions at the end of the book.
Favorite Quotes:
âBecause his knowledge of you is complete, you can trust the depths of his love for youâ p. 39
âWe need to know what Godâs law really says so that our consciences can be recalibrated by Godâs word.â P. 73
ââWonderful is the patience of the Lord, who can bear with us all at once!â writes John Newton. âWe, alas, can hardly bear with each other one at a time.â Newton makes a case here for what I think is one of the biggest reasons why we find it so hard to think of God as patient. His patience surprises us because of how unlike us he is.â P 103
A couple of things I would have changed about this book:
-When talking about the patience of Jesus the author mentions that Jesus affirmed his disciples. That language sounds very modern and I think could be a problematic way to interpret Jesus relationship with his disciples.
-I would have left out the quotes by James KA Smith.
I really enjoyed reading through this book. It is wonderful for those who struggle with Christian Perfectionism but also can provide insight if you donât struggle with the topic but know someone who does.
Chang is clearly vulnerable, relatable and knowledgeable throughout the book as she shares her experiences and growth. She does a great job throughout the book reminding us who we are and who God is and what that means in the context of the topic for that chapter.
At the end of each chapter there is a prayer that relates to the chapter and at the end of the book there is an appendix with discussion questions and additional resources.
Perfectionism has real impacts and in my experience the topic can be easily dismissed which unfortunately means that it often is misunderstood. This book is great to understand Christian Perfectionism more and create a conversation around it that can be helpful for those who struggle with it.
âGod really knows just what I need.â
âThis book was written just for me.â
âI didnât realize others had these same struggles, I feel so seen!â
These were a few of my thoughts as I read through this book on Christian perfectionism recently. It really did seem as though this book was written just for me and truly, it was no coincidence that I found myself holding this particular book in my hands. I have found myself at battle in my mind against intrusive thoughts such as this book highlights, not really realizing it was a common or recognized issue in the body of Christ.
Faith Chang breaks down what Christian perfectionism really is and delves deep into the issue using Scriptures and her own research into the psychological aspects, along with her own personal experience and testimony and even written prayers at the end of each chapter that are tailored to help our hearts cry out for help.
Relatable and filled with a hopeful message and theme of overcoming and freedom â this book can be used by anyone who is seeking Godâs will in their life but feels like they just donât quite measure up. As children of the Most High, we can experience His peace (And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7) this side of eternityâ this book shows us how.
I absolutely loved this book and found it to be so incredibly instrumental in healing and understanding my own thought process. I highlighted so many passages and actually plan to go over the book again in my own personal study.
Thank you to @thegoodbookcompanyusa & @keepingheartblog for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.