American Perfectionism

This past Sunday, I went to church with the kids from the orphanage. It was hot, stuffy, and swarming with mosquitoes. People got there early; people strolled in late. Some sang on-key. Some sang off-key. The “band” consisted of a guitar (which was barely audible), a ripped drum, and a tall tin can. In the middle of the service, the city power shut off. This meant no lights and no fans.

And yet, in the dark, humid sanctuary, the service continued on. We sang songs—some of which I understood and some of which I had no clue what I was singing. (I’m guessing they were about Jesus…) The mosquitoes attacked. The pastor preached a beautiful sermon. We swatted the mosquitoes. And we absorbed the Word of God.

I have to think that these kinds of things wouldn’t happen back home. I mean, we Americans are punctual (well…if you’re not a DiNardo), we make sure our worship bands and our church choirs are up to par, and we work hard at preventing the unpredictable. We get anxious if there is a glitch in the service, or if something doesn’t go as planned. If the lights aren’t right, if the air conditioning isn’t at the right level, if someone forgets they were supposed to usher…etc. Needless to say, our standards are very very high.

Now before I go on, let me throw out a disclaimer…a very large one, actually. It is truly a beautiful thing to utilize the resources to which we have access. It is CRUCIAL to view them as blessings—meaning we have done nothing to earn them, because they are gifts. It is a very godly, noble thing to make the best use of our talents and to be dedicated to our work. It is respectable and respectful to be on time. These are good, positive attributes found throughout American culture.

Okay, so that was my disclaimer. Now I can tell you what I really think…(just kidding, I really meant what I said!) BUT, I want to play devil’s advocate for a minute and challenge American Christians to—instead of seeing all of the imperfections around us—see the good. To focus our eyes on the things that are going well, instead of being overly critical about the things that don’t really matter. Because sometimes, our obsession with perfection is more of an unhealthy anxiety, rather than a genuine desire to glorify God. We cannot earn more of God’s love or more of his divine favor by making the flow of our services more perfect.

What’s more, is we cannot continue to let our faith ride solely on what makes us comfortable. Would we stop coming to church if there was no AC? Would we stop coming to church if the pews were uncomfortable or if—heaven forbid—there were no doughnuts or coffee?



So I ask the Church in America, what if we faced the reality of imperfection instead of letting it mercilessly taunt us with the fear of discomfort, or worse: failure?