Excellence v Perfectionism
We’re continuing our series on creativity and wisdom today – today we’ll see that wisdom is characterised by
creativity, excellence and inventive work. I want to focus specifically on excellence and look at the difference
between excellence and perfectionism. I believe that some of us need to be set free from perfectionism and
instead begin to live with excellence – the difference is marked.
Over the years I have struggled with perfectionism (and still do to an extent), and the need to present
everything as perfect and flawless – I’ve heaped pressure on myself – and then on others if they haven’t met my
standards. When we try to create ‘perfect’- being flawed and human, we tend not to achieve this very well –
which leaves disappointment, discouragement, self doubt, etc. We end up being hard on ourselves, our own
worst critic, but then we also begin to judge others with the standard we hold to ourselves (and fail to meet).
We live with striving, self effort, by law instead of grace in a rigid world of black and white, right and wrong,
where we have in mind the perfect outcome and if anything misses the mark, even slightly, it’s all gone wrong.
I’ve obviously taken the example there to an extreme – but do you recognise those traits? I’ve struggled with
them for years and had to ask myself what I was believing about myself and why I felt the need to have to be
perfect like that.
We’ll explore that a bit more later. Let’s read the passage.
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the
tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with
knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,
33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has
given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has
filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and
scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
Ex 35:30-35
Bezalel is the first person in scripture to be filled with the Holy Spirit – his role was to head up a building project
for Moses – to build a house for God. God had revealed what he wanted his dwelling place to look like, but to
create it there needed to be a person with a special gift of wisdom to know how to get it done.
“[Bezalel] was given supernatural wisdom to complete the task with artistic excellence. It was wisdom
that qualified him to take on this assignment, and it was wisdom that enabled him as an artisan or
master craftsman to design and build what was in God’s heart”
“Artistic design, excellence and inventive work are a few of the characteristics of wisdom in this
passage. This is what being filled with the Holy Spirit looked like in Moses’ day. The New Testament
adds the power element, because every believer now has access to the miracle realm through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This new emphasis does not abolish the original revelation of the subject,
but uses it as a foundation to build upon, If we combine the two we end up with believers who walk in
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wisdom, making practical contributions to the needs of society, who also confront impossibilities of life
through the provisions of the Cross, bringing solutions through supernatural display of miracles, signs
and wonders. Perhaps it is these two things working in tandem that should be considered the balanced
Christian Life”
Bill Johnson, Dreaming with God.
There are a few things I notice from the passage and what Bill Johnson says about it. Wisdom was the qualifying
attribute to allow Bezalel to design and build what was in God’s heart. God had already laid out the plan – there
was no need to create something perfect – the plan already was perfect, but there was freedom within the
master plan that allowed for Bezalel to design, create and build with creativity, skill and excellence.
The anointing of the Spirit was not so much about the end product, but the how of getting there.
There is a distinct difference between this approach – ordained by God and that of self effort and perfectionism,
which is the fallen counterfeit, man made version.
It’s like the difference between artistic painting and colouring in the lines/painting by numbers. One can be
done perfectly but is rigid, lacks expression and joy, gives a neat, but relatively bland result, and because of the
aim of it, if you go over the edge of a line it’s ruined. But the aim with art is not to paint within lines, it is to
push boundaries, to express something deeper, to communicate to others, to illicit emotion, to point to
something greater, it provokes questions, thought and challenges people’s perceptions, it brings new
perspective and unlocks fresh understanding.
The end result of a piece of art is only part of the importance – the intention, the process, the creativity is just
as integral.
Illustration – drawing by kids – excellent, but not perfect. The outcome/end product is less important than the
aim, intention and process.
The important aspect is what the father sees in our efforts – it is not solely about the results.
Looking at it another way. Excellence compared to perfectionism is like the comparison of a sovereign nation
with a dictatorship. This may be a slight tangent, but I want to take a little time to explore this.
In a Dictatorship – we’re forced into conformity of a preconceived notion of what the perfect society should
look like (whether we really agree or not). There is top down authority that restricts freedom, creativity, joy and
expression. Like in North Korea, where even photos that depict things that don’t look perfect, or show that
there may be poverty are banned and the photographer banned from the country for life. The end result may
be neat (if we don’t scratch the surface) but is clinical and cold. A Religious spirit, and law based living results in
this scenario in our lives. It is unpleasant for all around – if we live this way as individuals and as church the
result will be rebellion, rejection. Perfectionism misses the core by focussing on the secondary – the end result
is not the core aim, it is a by-product of it.
Within a sovereign nation, however, there is a standard that is good but to maintain and achieve these
standards, whilst there is authority in the land to uphold the law, the largest proportion of responsibility for
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expressing the standard by which to live and creating the society that works for all lies with the people –
choosing to live as active citizens embodying the standards and ideals of the land.
This allows room for creative expression and invention – it is expressed through excellence.
In a sovereign land the standards set, and the laws in place may well be broken by some. The sovereign state
has the power and authority to change this but it takes people to live in authority as a true citizen to enable this
without the loss of freedom that a dictatorship route would otherwise impose.
When laws are broken it is an issue of justice. To bring justice to a situation requires authority and we have a
part to play in this as citizens in doing this. Where we see things that don't match the perfect standard of
heaven for example, that is an issue of justice – not an issue over God’s sovereignty.
When we grasp this it can be life changing and very empowering for us – for example, when we pray for the sick
and they are not healed many times we begin to doubt God’s sovereignty or his goodness – in this framework
we can picture that God’s sovereignty is in tact as well as the perfect standard, what we are actually faced with
is an issue of justice that needs to be outworked.
If someone breaks the law here I don’t doubt that the Queen is less sovereign or that there isn’t power to deal
with the situation held by the government, nor do I doubt the validity or goodness of the law. Instead what I
see is a justice issue that requires a creative solution to bring lasting change, rather than dealing with the
symptoms alone.
This is where as people filled with the Holy Spirit we have a powerful role to operate creatively, inventively and
with excellence bring the wisdom of God into everyday life to, as we read earlier in the quote from Bill Johnson,
make practical contributions to the needs of society, confront the impossibilities of life through the provisions
of the Cross, and bring solutions through supernatural display of miracles, signs and wonders.
We are given authority as citizens of God’s sovereign Kingdom to bring justice and alignment to the standard of
heaven. We don’t deny the existence of problems and injustice, but we don’t need to allow them influence.
This authority is not one of coercion or being authoritarian, which doesn't work. - we see in this world that
where we simply come down hard on crime for example that we may punish people but we don't solve the
crime problem. Convicts reoffend regularly but we also create a reaction in society that perpetuates injustice.
We take a father away from his family and imprison them. The children may well be sent down a path of being
anti establishment having issues with those in authority. The problem is not solved but multiplied.
We need an authority that brings reconciliation and transformation - exactly the authority that Christ says he
gives us.
The restorative justice movement for example, enables victims and perpetrators to meet – to bring about
reconciliation and understanding with joint agreement on how amends can be made that leads to a justice that
lasts and a transformation of the perpetrator. Re-offending rates are lowered, the knock on impact of crime on
the perpetrators family is reduced, the cycle is shortened or broken.
Our role is display the wisdom of God through excellence of approach, bringing creative solutions to the world
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to release justice and alignment with the perfect heavenly standard.
The same is true of other justice issues like healing – have you ever considered sickness and pain to be an issue
of justice? It is – in the perfect standard of heaven sickness and pain are not allowed, where they exist they
stand against God’s standard and that is a justice issue.
There is room for creativity in bringing about justice in this arena too. It may be we have to look beyond
speaking to the symptoms and commanding healing. That may be necessary, but looking at Jesus’ example
there were a variety of other approaches he took - spitting, rubbing mud, a word at a distance, a touch,
releasing forgiveness.
The important thing is to follow Jesus’ lead of listening to and copying the Father – that is true wisdom – seeing
what is done in Heaven and releasing it on earth.
Just as with Bezalel who was given room to create and release what was in God’s heart and bring it about, not
have to decide what perfection looked like in the first place, we too have this role in bringing Heaven to earth
and bring creative solutions to our world. This sovereign realm already exists. We already are its citizens. The
Kingdom and its perfect standard are already here – the Kingdom is near, it has come already. Our role is not to
try and create a perfect end product which is what perfectionism would strive to do – the focus being on the
end product, rather our role is to live as citizens of this perfect Kingdom – it is the process of our lives lived with
creativity and excellence that enables Kingdom influence to spread and the standard of Heaven to invade our
world bringing transformation.
A perfect world is created as a by-product of people living in excellence with the right aims, with the
best intention, and with God’s blueprint in hand.
Perfectionism will not get us where we want and needs to be broken off – we need to no longer believe the lies
we’re told about having to be perfect and cover up when we’re not. Instead I believe we have a call to live
vulnerably, touching our broken world in love and demonstrating the wisdom of God through excellence and
creativity, and releasing justice, through the authority we are given, that brings transformation, healing and
salvation.
Response
For some of us, this will mean laying down our perfectionist approach and perfectionist standards – asking God
what it is we’re believing and picking up His truth instead.
It will mean actively choosing to live as citizens of Heaven, allowing God to release in us creativity, and living in
excellence and in His power, living a balanced Christian Life, to bring this into the world.
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