The pressure to be perfect can be immense, but because of Jesus Christ and the power of repentance, a second chance is always available.
From chasing impeccable grades to creating seemingly flawless social media accounts, young adults face intense and exhausting pressure to be perfect. I have often worried that to have a place in this competitive world, I need to always be perfect. Every time I make a mistake, I feel like if I make another one, I’ll be disqualified from success or progression. However, it is impossible to never make another mistake.
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Thankfully, because of Jesus Christ and his Atonement, our mistakes are never the end. In his address “Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning,” Elder Patrick Kearon shares a hopeful reminder that “Jesus gives us as many new beginnings as we need.” This liberating message can directly combat the internalized lies that we can never afford to make a mistake and must always be perfect. Christ offers us every new beginning through the gift of repentance. In this light, repentance is not a punishment or a hardship, but divine permission to hit the spiritual “reset” button.
This power of unlimited second chances is how we can truly combat perfectionism. When we fall prey to the idea that we have a finite number of mistakes that we can make, we are listening to the wrong voice. Elder Kearon clearly explains that “the adversary is the only one who benefits from the idea that you’re sunk. You are not.” The adversary is the source of the outside pressure that influences our unrealistic expectations of perfection, and our loving Savior offers relief from this burden. As the prophet Alma teaches in Alma 32:13, “Whosoever repenteth shall find mercy.” There is always a new beginning. Don’t be afraid to start again every day by sincerely repenting and turning to Christ.
Read the entirety of Elder Patrick Kearon’s address “Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning” to discover more about how Jesus Christ can continually provide hope and a spiritual reset through repentance.
Source: General Conference
—Megan McGee, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights
Take a look at Abbi Clark’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Repentance Is Cool” to learn more about how repentance provides a cool opportunity to grow and develop.
Read Linde Fielding’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Confidence: A Perfect Understanding of Repentance” to more fully understand the concept of repentance and how it can bring confidence.