Within all of us, at one time or another, we have had the Peter Perfect syndrome. Especially as Americans, Trillions of dollars are spent, trying to get us to care enough about our image to buy makeup, designer clothes, luxury cars/homes… Americans have many women with disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia (and we have plenty of food), OCD, etc.

A while back, it was on the news, that a woman was killed in a car wreck. She wasn't going very fast, but she didn't have her seat belt on. Her daughter said that she never wore her seat belt, because her mother never wanted to wrinkle her shirt. 

Haven't we all done this, not wanting to get wrinkled?
 

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard the jokes from Jeff Foxworthy (You know you’re a redneck when…) Well, we could do this with the Peter Perfects. You know you’re a perfectionist when: there is a room in your house that is OFF LIMITS, when EACH hair on your head HAS TO BE perfectly placed before stepping out of the house, You have a small mirror with you AT ALL TIMES to check for imperfections (and you check it often), You would just DIE if someone showed up at your front door UNANNOUNCED!...

The Peter Perfect syndrome can be funny to someone else, but if you are ‘infected’ with the perfectionist syndrome, I’m quite certain it’s not funny to YOU!

We learn, especially in America, at a very young age, to worry about what others think of us. Kids can be the cruelest! Teasing starts as early as grade school, and it only gets worse (way worse) by the time you graduate high school.

This was definitely ME. The worry-wart that had to have EVERYTHING perfect. That is until God changed my heart.

When someone in our family has a moment when he/she needs perfection, we call that person Peter Perfect; however, we didn’t come up with the name. Jessica, my wife, has a best friend – Kim. Jessica and Kim have been best friends since middle school, and the friendship they have is very special indeed. Kim has two teenage sons, Noah and Isaiah. One day, while riding in the car, after some arguing, Noah told Isaiah to “Get out of the car PETER PERFECT".

We laughed when we heard the story, and ever since, we now label each other (and I’m afraid others) as being Peter Perfect.

Since I wanted to write about the Peter Perfect syndrome, I thought long and hard about how I could relate this back to God, specifically Peter.

Peter probably had the Peter Perfect syndrome. Let’s look at some examples.

Peter tried really hard, so hard that he jumped out of the boat to walk to Jesus (when Jesus was walking on water). Now it wasn’t just about Faith, because he sank when his doubts got the best of him.

Peter also denied Jesus three times, when he swore he wouldn’t. I believe Peter loved Jesus with all of his heart, but his 'image' did come into ‘play’ when he denied Jesus. Now, he could have just feared for his life, but I’m not so sure.

Peter had all of the questions for Jesus, and he tried hard to ‘get it right’. Even at his death, Peter had the need to ‘get it right’ when he requested the persecution to be different from his Lord Jesus Christ. They hung Peter on a cross (upside down).

Now, I’m just trying to relate Peter to this inspiration. I’m in NO WAY questioning Peter’s intensions. At the time of his death, he was extremely LOYAL, loyal to the point of telling others about Jesus, and being killed for it.

Those with the need for perfection are often times ‘pegged’ and labeled as being conceited, but as with my own life, I have discovered, when one has an ‘out of control’ need for perfection, it is due to an inferiority complex.

Twenty years ago, when I HAD hair, my hair HAD TO BE perfect. Not because I was conceited like many thought, but rather for fear of being persecuted by others. I had two ‘cow licks’, one in the front and one in the back. My hair just didn’t lay right, and I combed my hair at each and every mirror I could find. Walking through the Mall was a nightmare, because there was a mirror in every store, and in the hall ways!

Feeling inferior to others isn't funny, but I don’t want to end this inspiration on a depressing note. Just don’t be so quick to judge others, please don’t label, persecute, make fun of…teens are committing suicide more than ever.

Again, let’s end this inspiration on a good note.

I recently heard a story about a guy attending a new church. In his welcome bag was a card for a free Wednesday night dinner. This guy was excited to attend Wednesday night services, so he and his two children decided to attend the dinner.

At the dinner, the dutiful father fixed his children’s plates first, and was then working on his own. One of the ladies, serving the dinner, came from out of the kitchen, and the father handed her the card for the free dinner for him and his family.

The lady looked at the card, then at the father, back at the card, then at the father. She was speechless for a minute, as the father continued to fix his plate. When she finally spoke, she said ‘oh sweetie, we don’t have Wednesday night suppers in the month of December’. The father replied, ‘well what is THIS dinner for?’. The lady replied ‘this is a funeral dinner’.  The father, not dressed properly, slowly looked around, and sure enough, there was the family of the deceased.

Yes, the guy was me, and the two small children were Lauren and Jack. We went and sat down at a table, and ate. All the while, I watched the bereaved family crying over their loss.

Yes, I was embarrassed, but I knew this would be funny (the NEXT day). Twenty years ago, I would have DIED too, but as I said, God changed my heart. I lost my hair at the young age of 20.
I had the child with me, at the grocery story, that asked me REAL LOUD why the lady's 'bottom' was so Big (this lady, IN FRONT OF ME, in the checkout line). I was the one standing at the alter (my wedding) that was wearing a Mickey Mouse vest – to match the ring bearer’s vest (to be cute), and the ring bearer’s caregiver decided to switch the little boy's Mickey Mouse vest for a black vest, because the Mickey Mouse vest was too big. I was the one that seemed to always have the vehicles that would break down in the middle of intersections…

God does have a sense of humor, and He does target the Peter Perfects. So, if you are a Peter Perfect, get ready. Like me, YOU WILL BE HUMBLED!

Today, I am a Christian Clown (and at the funeral dinner, I did go back for desert).

God Bless!

In His Hands,

Love, Glen