Excellence, Not Perfection

November 1st, 2025
by Natalie Selman

As believers we are called to do things with excellence; but we must remember excellence does not mean perfection. The Lord never calls us to be perfect. There was only one perfect human, and that was Jesus. We will never be perfect- yet so many people strive for perfection without even realizing it.

It is a very common phrase to say, “I am a perfectionist.” People say this without realizing what it means. To seek perfection is to strive to seek outward acceptance. Striving to be perfect opens the door to fear; fear of failure, fear of the opinions of others, and how they will see you, and fear of not measuring up. All of this fear leads to a life of bondage.

The root of perfectionism is self-centered and seeking approval of others. Think about the Pharisees: everything was done in order to look a certain way or follow certain rules; they were motivated by how it all looked and how it was perceived by others.

Perfectionism is the enemy’s counterfeit to God’s spirit of excellence. It sounds good in theory: to want everything perfect. It seems like it may be a good quality, to want everything you do to be done perfectly, but in reality, it is bondage.

Let’s look at what excellence is and how it is different from perfection. Doing things from a spirit of excellence means your motivation is solely to glorify God in all you do regardless of how it looks to others or how it is perceived.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”.

No matter what task is in front of you, you can do it with a spirit of excellence when you are doing it unto the Lord and not for men.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” Luke 16:10

Walking in excellence is being faithful. When you are obedient to the Lord and walk faithfully where He is calling you, you will not have to strive to look perfect, you will not have to do anything in your own power- you will be able to rely on Him and His strength. This means that even in your weakest moment you can operate in excellence because when you are weak, He is strong.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

It is never about our own power; it is always His power at work within us. There is so much freedom in the Lord because it is never about what we can do.

So, when we do make mistakes, and we do fall short, we are able to accept the grace and forgiveness of the Lord and continue moving forward in excellence. When we are walking in perfectionism and we face failure it leads to feeling inadequate and taking on that failure as our identity; none of these things are from our Father who loves us.
We must recognize when we are striving to be perfect over walking in the spirit of excellence. There is freedom, peace, and joy when you are walking in excellence. There is anxiety and stress when you are striving for an impossible standard.

Perfectionism is another distraction of the enemy; if he can keep you focused on being perfect then your eyes will be off the faithfulness of Jesus, you will not be walking in His love and His strength but stuck striving in your own power.

We can take a deep breath, a sigh of relief, in knowing the Lord calls us to rest in His peace. We can walk in excellence, humbly knowing it is not about what we can do anyway, but what He is doing through us. Walking in excellence is walking in integrity which is doing what the Lord is calling you to even when no one is looking, even when you receive no praise.

Walking in excellence is a journey; a journey that will last the entire time you are on this Earth. There is not a destination of perfection you are to strive to reach. We all know the saying, “progress not perfection.” We can apply this to our spiritual life and say “faithfulness not perfection” or “obedience not perfection.” We are called to be obedient and live a life of faith in Jesus; not a perfect life with faith in our abilities to strive to achieve perfection.

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31

When you wait on the Lord and rely on His strength, He will renew you; you can run and not grow weary. When it is all from His power, it will not cause burnout or stress.

Take inventory of your life: are there areas where you are striving and stressing? What is the motive? Investigate the root to see why this is causing stress. If you are not doing everything unto the Lord with the sole purpose of pleasing Him and walking in His will, then recalibrate, repent and lay it all down at His feet. Let Him carry the burdens and deliver you from the bondage of perfectionism. It is time to walk freely as the child of God that you are and to do everything with a spirit of excellence not perfection.