The Curse of Perfectionism and the Gift of Incompetence

Perfectionism can keep us from taking meaningful steps of faith. Through the experience of launching a new website, Dave Faust reflects on human weakness, the pursuit of excellence, and trusting God's strength.

By David Faust

November 3, 2026·3 min read

In brief

Overcoming Perfectionism and Trusting God with Our Imperfect Work

Launching a new website leads to an honest reflection on perfectionism, vulnerability, and the fear of making mistakes. Drawing on Ecclesiastes and the apostle Paul, the author explores why pursuing excellence matters, but waiting for perfection can prevent us from serving others. Our confidence ultimately rests in God’s strength rather than our flawless performance.

Perfectionism can create anxiety, self-doubt, and an unhealthy fear of failure.
Pursuing excellence is worthwhile, but waiting for perfect conditions can keep us from taking meaningful action.
God works through imperfect people, and our competence ultimately comes from him.

During the last eight months, I have worked with a web designer named Chris to create a new website. It will provide an online platform for articles and books I have written.

To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of putting my name on a website. In a world flooded with noise, I don’t want to add more words to the pile. But eventually friends convinced me the website would be a way of serving others.

For the last 30 years, the Lord has given me the opportunity to write weekly articles for Christian Standard and The Lookout, and at times for other publications as well. The website will make those resources available to anyone who might want to use them.

But an inescapable fact bothers me: The new website isn’t perfect.

Hundreds of my past articles existed in print, but not in electronic form. For the website, those old essays had to be scanned and turned into electronic documents (I paid two teenage girls and a retired friend to help with that tedious task). And the scans didn’t reproduce everything accurately. Glancing over one scanned article, I noticed a sentence that was supposed to say, “Since this is true,” but it said, “Steve this is true.” Imagine a guy named Steve thinking my comments were directed personally at him!

On my website, you may find comments that made sense in the 1990s but now sound outdated. You may disagree with some of my opinions, think of topics I have overlooked, or even (horror of horrors) find misspelled words and typographical errors.

The Struggle with Perfectionism

Posting all this material for public scrutiny makes me feel vulnerable, because I struggle with perfectionism—an undesirable personality trait marked by harsh self-evaluation and a relentless drive for flawlessness. The pursuit of excellence honors God, but our achievements don’t determine our worth in his eyes. Toxic, self-centered perfectionism undermines God’s grace and leads to anxiety, burnout, and a crippling fear of failure.

When the website creator said it was time to launch the new site, I balked and insisted it wasn’t ready. There were still items to add and errors to correct. Eventually Chris helped me realize that if we wait till everything is perfect, we will never launch the website at all. “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, New International Version). Farmers who wait for perfect weather may never plant a crop. Preachers should study hard and prepare thoroughly, but eventually we must stand up and preach, giving God the best we can offer despite our imperfections. Writers and editors fuss over sentences and paragraphs, but eventually someone has to press “Send,” “Print,” or “Publish.”

God Works Through Imperfect People

From Moses and David to Peter and Paul, the Lord has used flawed servants to proclaim his flawless truth. Paul’s critics questioned his competence, but ironically, he seemed to view his personal weaknesses as a gift that underscored God’s strength. He wrote, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

So, with confidence in God, and a bit of fear and trembling, we launched my new website. I hope my words point readers to the living Word, Jesus Christ.

Check it out: DaveFaustWrites.com. But be forewarned. The website isn’t perfect.

Author: David Faust

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.