For the Lord: From Perfectionism to Worship

 By: Lauren Thomas 

This is embarrassing, but, as a child, my naïve and incorrect interpretation of a certain Bible verse had an unfortunate consequence: raw, cracked hands. How? And I’m cringing as I write this… Sometimes I would re-wash my hands, repeatedly, because I was worried I hadn’t done it “good enough” the first time. No, this wasn’t about an OCD diagnosis. It was about thinking Colossians 3:23 meant I had to do everything perfectly. In the NIV this verse says, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” If I realized that I had done something – anything – on autopilot, I felt like I had to re-do it “with all my heart.” I began to drive myself crazy – not clinically crazy, don’t worry – worrying about all my “work” being “with all my heart.” By God’s grace, this issue was resolved!

I had forgotten about this until recently when I was studying through Colossians. Thankfully, now I have a better grasp on how to interpret and apply Scripture. 

 

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,

Colossians 3:23 CSB

 

This verse has nothing to do with obsessive perfectionism. It’s about belonging to the only one who is perfect. 

 

In context, Paul was giving a directive to slaves: to serve their earthly masters as if they were serving Jesus. This came at the end of a segment where Paul was explaining that, in Christ, a restructuring of institutions was necessary, and that the restructuring involved a different authority from what the Roman culture was used to. Instead of patriarchs and slave owners being at the top, Jesus was to be the Christian’s primary authority, and all others were to be treated as equals in Christ (see Colossians 3:11, 18-4:1). 

 

Jesus is the only source of perfection. And he understands our flawed humanity. He doesn’t require perfect performance from us. He desires sincerity. He desires that our work be done with excellence. But more than that, he desires that in our work, we are worshiping our perfect Lord, who deserves all praise. 

 

So, as I wipe pasta sauce from my children’s faces, as I fold laundry, as I sweep the floor, as I teach a Bible class, my aim isn’t perfection. Instead, my goal in all this work is to change it into worship of my Lord. 

 

Reflection:

Think about the work you do through the week, be it housework or tasks from your employer. What would change if you did these tasks “from the heart” and “for the Lord”? Does your work look like worship? Who is Lord in your life?