A few days ago I spent an entire day trying to write a short article. When I say an entire day, I literally mean an entire day. I know this doesn't sound like a catastrophe big enough to bring a whole day to a screeching halt—and believe me it's not—but I was still embarrassed, frustrated and terrified at how unimpressive my article would be. The more I wrote and edited, rewrote and re-edited, the more obvious it became that I wasn't getting anywhere.

It was time to admit it, I was afraid of imperfection.

How many times in your life do you find yourself paralyzed in getting good work done and moving forward simply because it isn't "good enough" according to your standards and perceived expectations from others?

I once read a tragic story about a woman and her struggles with a spinal injury after an accident that caused her to be paralyzed. I was brought to tears by all of her suffering and made a silent prayer for her—I felt her pain as she expressed her fears. They were fears of not being loved, having no future and sadly, the fear of living a life disabled. I wanted to tell her that her limited abilities and imperfections did not limit her worth or how much she deserved to be loved. I wanted her to know that she could move forward—without fear for her imperfect life—by God’s everlasting strength and love.

As I paced back and forth, trying to write the perfect article, I finally realized why I couldn’t move forward. Though nothing worthy of comparison to her paralysis, I also had fear of my own imperfection and was relying on my own strength. I got down on my knees and asked God to help by providing the strength to finish the work and move forward. By putting my faith in God’s strength and love, He answered my prayer. This very article is the proof.

Paul, the apostle, once wrote, “And He [Christ] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Whenever we feel afraid, frustrated and embarrassed by our imperfections, stop and remember that we can rely on and have faith in the strength of God and His love that never fails.