I think a lot of my anxiety is trying to be a perfect Christian. I know I should have my devotions every morning, pray throughout the day, and before bed, be a spiritual "guru" for my kids and have the house where people know Christ lives.
Instead, I have anxiety, I feel like a hipocrit when I teach sunday school, because I'm not the perfect Christian. I'm lucky if I have devotions once a week, and prepare for S.S. class on Saturday. I pray when I think about it, but not all the time, and worry about going to hell when I die because I'm not doing the things I "should" be doing.
What can I do to ease up on myself. I grew up in a pastor home, my grandparents were ministers and we, my sister and I, were supposed to be the perfect example of a pastor family. But we weren't, and still aren't.
Am I going to hell? I don't want to.
Expecting to be a perfect christian
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Guest
Hi Jenn:
So many people feel as you do. You are not alone in your thoughts. But please relax. You are human. You are never going to be perfect.
And you see that is what is the GOOD NEWS about the gospel.
None of us are, or ever will be perfect. You are doing the best you can and that is pretty darn good.
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus knew that already.
He has already paid the price . He made the sacrifice for the fact that we can't be perfect.
So thru' His sacrifice, we ARE. God sees you as perfect because He sees you thru' Jesus sacrifice.
I know that sounds all complicated. It used to worry me just like it does you.
Just go on about raising your children and living your life. This will become clear to you down the line aways.
I'm really proud of you!!
I just hope that you can realize that what Christ did made you to be free from this kind of worry.
You don't have to DO anything. You are fine.
He did it and now you can just be you.
It is really simple but it sounds so hard.
It is not.
You are good enough. I really don't believe you'll go to hell. Just accept His sacrifice and live your life like you are.
MJ
So many people feel as you do. You are not alone in your thoughts. But please relax. You are human. You are never going to be perfect.
And you see that is what is the GOOD NEWS about the gospel.
None of us are, or ever will be perfect. You are doing the best you can and that is pretty darn good.
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus knew that already.
He has already paid the price . He made the sacrifice for the fact that we can't be perfect.
So thru' His sacrifice, we ARE. God sees you as perfect because He sees you thru' Jesus sacrifice.
I know that sounds all complicated. It used to worry me just like it does you.
Just go on about raising your children and living your life. This will become clear to you down the line aways.
I'm really proud of you!!
I just hope that you can realize that what Christ did made you to be free from this kind of worry.
You don't have to DO anything. You are fine.
He did it and now you can just be you.
It is really simple but it sounds so hard.
It is not.
You are good enough. I really don't believe you'll go to hell. Just accept His sacrifice and live your life like you are.
MJ
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Guest
Jennkatz, I have the same problems you do. If I think for a minute that I may be doing something wrong wether it is not reading enough or praying enough or if I missed Sunday school. that somehow I am going to Hell because I am not obeying perfectly. I believe it has a lot to do with how we were raised. In fact I grew up in a strict baptist atmosphere and I too have problems with perfectionism. and that is all it is perfectionism. God is not as hard on us as we make him out to be. he loves us soo much that we can't even comprehend it. Think to yourself how would you treat your children with the same perfectionistic views or would you allow them not to be perfect and just love them for who they are an imperfect creation. We are made perfect by the Blood of Christ not by works. I know how you feel though. Sometimes I feel that God may be telling me things that I am doing wrong when in fact I look a little deeper and find that its just me being perfectionistic. I hope this helps and realize you are not alone. Just read some of my other Forums and you will see that there are others.
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Guest
I feel like I have this same expectation of myself. I also feel I am suppose to set an example at my church. I have said in a few post that my husband is a pastor of a church. I have been reluctant on saying that because of fear of rejection or fear of other's thinking that I would think I am better than anyone else on here. I am not... I feel like the biggest sinner of them all! I use to think that the pastor, his wife and kids were above the rest(When I Was Growing Up). I think that's why I have such high expectations of myself. Trying to live up to something that is not true!!! I'm Human just like everybody else...I just happened to marry a man that was a preacher.
I hope one day I can tell others of what I have been thru(anxiety&depression). My mother has said maney times...I believe God is going to bless you and use you one day... with ALL that you have suffered with. I don't know if that's true. It's hard to see anything "good" coming out of this.
Something that does inspire me is Lucinda's story. I've said it in other post and I will say it again...read her story. At one point she actually say's she see's her struggles with A&D as a gift. That's hard to comprehend when your going thru this. I hope one day I can look back and say...there really was a reason why.
I hope one day I can tell others of what I have been thru(anxiety&depression). My mother has said maney times...I believe God is going to bless you and use you one day... with ALL that you have suffered with. I don't know if that's true. It's hard to see anything "good" coming out of this.
Something that does inspire me is Lucinda's story. I've said it in other post and I will say it again...read her story. At one point she actually say's she see's her struggles with A&D as a gift. That's hard to comprehend when your going thru this. I hope one day I can look back and say...there really was a reason why.
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Guest
I am buy no means a perfect Christian, but I have always been taught that no one is perfect. Yes we should all set the example for others, but I think it's more in the way that you lead your everyday life. In how you treat others and deal with others, not necessarily in the routines you keep of when you pray, study the bible, or have devotions. Remember the lord died to save us from our sins, not for us to live life petrified that we will not be good enough, or sinless enough to be saved. I think the most important thing when it comes to setting the example for others is the Greatest Commandment, to Love God Above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves, or something close to that(i'm not sure of the exact wording). I also think this statement from Jesus is very important, which kinda goes along with the greatest Commandment, "What you do unto the least of these you do unto me."
As I said, I am no perfect Christian, but I would not try to be something I am not. We all fall short of God's glory, but that is OK. As long as we strive to live as the lord would have us live. Loving God, trusting in him, and being good Christians to others. It is more our actions in life that should set the example. How we treat God, ourselves, and others just seems far more important to me then if I follow every law, rule and biblical guideline just right. I think, I feel like, if I am doing what God is guiding me to do, and I try to care for the things entrusted in my care, and strive to treat others the way I would like to be treated then my salvation will be just fine and those around me will benefit in the long run.
My paster told a little story in his sermon yesterday, about a woman who worked in a diner, this dealt with the example some Christians set buy not following these ways. He said another pastor had come to this diner while on a mission, and started talking to the woman about how things were going. She seemed stressed out and down, but replied that things were fine(she wasn't aware she was speaking to a pastor). He asked her what her least favorite day of the weeks work was, and she replied that Sunday was the worst, because all the church goers come in and they eat the most, tend to be the most inconsiderate, yet are terrible tippers. I probably don't have the wording quite right but you get the idea. We don't always set a Christianly example when it comes to our everyday actions around those we come in contact with, often times we set a very hypacritical example to others who may or may not be believers. If you think about that and about how some non believers see us in their eyes that is the real shame. Those we should be trying to lead to God, are not worried about how many prayers we said this week, or if we have studied our bibles and done devotions today, they are worried about and see first hand how we treat others, how we live our lives, and they often see how we can be quite hypacritic in the way we live our everyday lives. that is what I think we should work on, not because it will help our salvation, but because it is the right thing to do.
God loves you and so do I!
Venus
As I said, I am no perfect Christian, but I would not try to be something I am not. We all fall short of God's glory, but that is OK. As long as we strive to live as the lord would have us live. Loving God, trusting in him, and being good Christians to others. It is more our actions in life that should set the example. How we treat God, ourselves, and others just seems far more important to me then if I follow every law, rule and biblical guideline just right. I think, I feel like, if I am doing what God is guiding me to do, and I try to care for the things entrusted in my care, and strive to treat others the way I would like to be treated then my salvation will be just fine and those around me will benefit in the long run.
My paster told a little story in his sermon yesterday, about a woman who worked in a diner, this dealt with the example some Christians set buy not following these ways. He said another pastor had come to this diner while on a mission, and started talking to the woman about how things were going. She seemed stressed out and down, but replied that things were fine(she wasn't aware she was speaking to a pastor). He asked her what her least favorite day of the weeks work was, and she replied that Sunday was the worst, because all the church goers come in and they eat the most, tend to be the most inconsiderate, yet are terrible tippers. I probably don't have the wording quite right but you get the idea. We don't always set a Christianly example when it comes to our everyday actions around those we come in contact with, often times we set a very hypacritical example to others who may or may not be believers. If you think about that and about how some non believers see us in their eyes that is the real shame. Those we should be trying to lead to God, are not worried about how many prayers we said this week, or if we have studied our bibles and done devotions today, they are worried about and see first hand how we treat others, how we live our lives, and they often see how we can be quite hypacritic in the way we live our everyday lives. that is what I think we should work on, not because it will help our salvation, but because it is the right thing to do.
God loves you and so do I!
Venus
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Guest
You are not going to hell. You are a work in progress. You will always be a work in progress. We all need the Blood of Christ because we are a work in progress.
You need to forgive yourself totally every day.
Jesus forgives you, God forgives you. You need to forgive you.
It is time to let yourself off the hook. I didn't think of that. I got it off a wonderfull book I recently read by R. T. Kendall. How to Forgive Ourselves Totally.
I am forgiving myself totally now, You can too.
You need to forgive yourself totally every day.
Jesus forgives you, God forgives you. You need to forgive you.
It is time to let yourself off the hook. I didn't think of that. I got it off a wonderfull book I recently read by R. T. Kendall. How to Forgive Ourselves Totally.
I am forgiving myself totally now, You can too.