So, I have restarted my one-year bible reading plan more times than I can count although thankfully I started last year January and will be done by middle of this year 2026. I have started prayer journals, missed a few days, and told myself I might as well wait until January. I have had weeks where my quiet time was perfect, structured, peaceful and then weeks where the most I gave God was a three-second prayer while heading out of the driveway to take my kids to school.
Life is full you know, work, life, kids, everything is demanding our attention and energy is low and perfection seems to be screaming our name.
There have also been times where I told myself I would “start fresh tomorrow.” Tomorrow I would wake up early and workout, have a long quiet time, journal, pray deeply, eat more proteins etc. Tomorrow I would be more consistent. Tomorrow I would get it right. But as we all know, tomorrow keeps moving and that is the same with our New year resolutions. Because sometimes we feel if we don’t have the perfect setup, the perfect amount of time, or the perfect mindset, we feel like it doesn’t count.
But here is what I’ve been learning, God is not asking for perfection. He is asking for your presence.
Perfection Is Not a Requirement in God’s Kingdom
In my walk with God and life in general, I am learning that God does not require perfection from us. I would not say I am a perfectionist but with certain things I wait till I have my Ts crossed and my I’s dotted and things line up perfectly, but you also do not learn very well that way, because sometimes, the lesson is in failing and making mistakes.
But when you look at Scripture, we do not see perfection
Moses doubted himself and struggled with speaking, yet God still used him.
David made serious mistakes, yet he kept coming back to God with a sincere heart.
Peter denied Jesus, and still became a pillar in the early church.
God has never been in the business of using perfect people. He uses people who keep coming back so that he alone can take the glory.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, it says:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
That means your weakness does not disqualify you. It is actually where God’s strength shows up the most. when we have to rely on God, we take the focus off of ourselves and trust in him instead.
I am also learning that perfectionism sounds noble and to some people might seem like a great thing, but most of the time it is just a way to avoid showing up imperfectly. The enemy knows that if he can convince you that your small, tired, messy effort does not count, he does not have to work very hard to keep you from God. You will keep yourself away all on your own. You will keep yourself away on your own from all that God has called you to do and be.
What God is actually looking for
Here is what changed things for me: I stopped reading the Bible looking for inspiration and started reading it looking for who God actually is. What I found is a God who meets people mid-mess, not post-breakthrough, he meets us in the middle of our weakness and helps us.
He called Moses after forty years of hiding. He used Peter right after Peter denied him three times. He met the woman at the well in the middle of her most broken season, not after she had cleaned herself up.
God is not waiting for a perfect version of us. He is inviting our present version and that to me is so beautiful to hear.
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” Not new every January. Not new once you get your act together. New every morning. God is always there ready everytime.
The grace was designed for the person who keeps coming back, not the person who never stumbles.
The Enemy Loves Perfectionism
As I mentioned earlier, perfectionism sounds good on the surface. It feels like discipline. It feels like standards. But spiritually, it can quietly hold you back.
Because it tells you subtle things like:
- If you missed yesterday, you might as well skip today
- If you do not have enough time, do not bother for instance if you do not have your full 30minutes for bible study then don’t bother
- If you cannot do it well, do not do it at all
And before you know it, days turn into weeks and then months then years.
That is not from God.
Zechariah 4:10 reminds us:
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
God is not waiting for you to do something big. He rejoices when you simply begin. Even if it feels small. Even if it feels messy.
Consistency in Everyday Life (Faith in Action)
Being consistent in real life is the key, because for many of us, life is full.
You are raising kids, being a wife, managing a home, showing up for your family, maybe building something, working, creating, serving, you name it.
With all of these, it can be hard to have long stretches of quiet time.
And that is okay because God is not expecting perfection from us. All he desires is consistency which could be simple things like:
- Choosing patience when you are overwhelmed
- Saying a quick prayer before responding to your child, I need this a lot haha
- Playing worship music in the background especially while working
- Thanking God in the middle of a normal moment
Practical Ways to Choose Consistency Over Perfection
Some ways to slowly move the needle for me have been:
Start smaller than you think you need to
That could be one verse, one prayer, instead of right off the bat trying to do 5 chapters.
Create a simple baseline to start with
Instead of aiming for an hour of bible study or prayer, decide on something you can sustain daily and do that for a few weeks then slowly increase.
Create a system, attach it to your routine
For me its quick prayer heading to the gym in the morning, listening to a sermon while working out etc.
Give yourself grace
Missing a day is not failure. Just start again
Focus on showing up
Not how long, not how perfect, just show up
Conclusion: Faithfulness Over Flawlessness
Even when it feels small, rushed, or distracted, God sees it all. He sees the effort it took for us to pause and pray, the quiet moments we chose Him in the middle of our day, and our desire to stay connected to Him.
Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Every small act of consistency is planting something, and in time, it will grow.
Honestly, we do not need a perfect routine to have a strong relationship with God. I am saying this to myself too because some days it seems I still forget. What matters is that we keep coming back, again and again, on the good days, the tired days, and the days that feel all over the place.