Little Miss Perfect

Mature Christians long to be holy and blameless. We have access to the Holy Spirit; therefore, we draw on His Spirit in order to act justly and walk in paths of righteousness. As we are renewed by God's hand, we come to realize that our righteousness is not of ourselves. It is a gift from God. We begin to realize that we are hopeless without His power. We are only sustained by His strength.

Therefore, anything that mimics holiness—but is not a true representation of holiness—can be sickening. Self-righteousness is the ugliest snake. Here is a nauseating example: 

I am still considered the “good Christian girl” in some of my high school circles. These students remembered that I didn’t drink, smoke, cuss, sleep around, or disrespect the teachers. They pegged me as the “good Christian”. As I look back at that time in my life, I detest that label. I may have respected all the cultural restrictions, but I was self-righteous, judgmental, and filled with arrogance. I misrepresented the grace of God, I didn’t heal the brokenhearted, or minster to those who needed healing.

I am still repenting for my past because I know there are devastating ramifications. My false holiness injured many a soul in that high school. It frightens me that my classmates consider me the poster child for a “good Christian girl”. I carried a false holiness. The holiness of Christ goes beyond the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. It goes beyond duty and adherence to the law. His holiness is full of grace and doused in unending love. I am striving to represent that brand of holiness.

If I do anything well or ever act righteously, it is only because the Lord empowers me. He set me apart; He loved me first. Often when I attempt to be Little Miss Perfect, I only hurt those around me. I make them feel insecure, ugly, unworthy, unwanted, and dirty. Any time I attempt to be Little Miss Perfect, I eventually fail to reach the standard. God wants to partner will us, making us holy as He is holy. Something we could never attain on our own.