Being OK with less than perfect

Many years ago, I was on the search committee for a new minister at our small church. It was humbling in many ways to be part of a search team that was looking for the "right fit." In the end I didn't feel a strong connection with this minister and left the church to find a new one that was closer to home - a big irony since I had helped pick her! It was a good reminder that we can't always know what we need or want, and I need to leave a lot of my control up to God about what I think is right.

I'll never forget something this minister said in the search process when asked whether she would consider a part-time position. She said "There's no such thing as part-time work, only part-time pay." I thought it was a bit sarcastic at the time, but as I'm considering going back to work and (hopefully) part-time I can only anticipate the slippery slope between working more hours but not being paid for them.

I just had a great afternoon with an old friend Nicole today. We spoke about juggling work and family time, and the importance of setting boundaries with work to protect the time we have at home. She could have gone to a summer camp she was helping run every night this week - but she chose not to - and the camp continued on well enough without her.

But Nicole said something else that I thought was even more important: it's harder many times to say "that's enough" to ourselves. Sometimes I know if I spent just a few more hours on something I could do a better job. Or I think that this work is important - and I really want to be there at that next event. But that perfectionism can only lead me to burnout.

I've been in a small group at church and one thing we just talked about is that sometimes saying yes to God means saying no to other things. Saying yes to our heart's desire means saying no to things that we also, really, really want to do. And saying no to myself is important too - when I lean toward really digging in and going overboard in a job or project, it's okay to say I could do better - but it's time to move on to the next thing. That's enough!