Peace over Perfection

Brad Hambrick

New authors have a way of bringing fresh perspectives to stubborn struggles. That is what Faith Chang does with perfectionism. If you’ve found yourself pursuing a good goal (holiness) in an exhausting way (perfectionism), Peace over Perfection offers a fresh voice and fresh perspective. Through the hope of the gospel, you’ll learn to pursue godliness in a way that rests in the reality that God is for you—as a good Father. A book rooted in prayer, Peace over Perfection invites you to talk with God about your journey and enjoy his presence in your in-process life.

Josiah Pettit

Reading Peace over Perfection is like arriving at one of the ‘safe homes’ along the path in The Pilgrim’s Progress—a place of sustenance and encouragement to shut out the terrors and temptations that haunt the ‘Christian perfectionist’ in their journey toward the heavenly rest of the Celestial City. Faith’s welcoming tone gives space to exhale and recalibrate, each chapter pairing a specific challenge of perfectionism with gospel help, proving she’s walked the hard paths too. And while reading this book will provide respite, it won’t leave you resting. The discussion questions and prayer prompts—if sincerely applied—will drive you out the door and on the road again, seeking out other pilgrims along the way.

“Encouraging”

This is an encouraging and helpful book! I found I didn't relate to it as much as I expected - my struggles with perfectionism come from a different place than the author's - but that does not diminish its value. I still found it helpful, and I expect many others will as well. And I enjoyed the prayers!

“Top 10 Books I've ever read”

I found this book through a promotional email. Curious to see what it was about, I clicked on the link that took me to a sample. After reading the introduction, I felt as though someone had reached into my heart and articulated a deep struggle that I feel like I wrestle with nearly daily. So many perspectives on perfectionism seem to stem from the "no one is perfect, rest on Christ alone, and live in the moment"....BUT what is you already agree with all of those statements. What if you're not striving to be perfect, but desperately want to know that your life is a fragrant offering to the Lord? What if you know that God loves you and accepts you based on the imputed righteousness of Christ, but you feel like God is apathetic towards you? What if you know that we all have blindspots due to our sin, but that becomes borderline paralyzing in trying to make a sound decision for your life?.....then this book is for you. It was like a pressure release valve opened in my heart. I keep it by my bed to read again the sections that truly are soothing balm for my heart and mind

“Thoughtful”

Thoughtful discussion so relevant to those with struggles in areas of perfectionism, conscience and discouragement. Excellent.

“Insightful, refreshing and deeply encouraging”

This book opened my eyes to the way I was thinking about myself - I was surprised to find I could identify closely with five out of the eight chapters.

Each chapter helpfully examines one aspect of the internal struggles some experience, doing so from a broad Biblical perspective. Then, at the end of the chapter, there is a prayer which draws everything together with tremendous insight, weaving Scripture into those prayers and homing in on the main way in which the struggle manifests itself. Thus, the chapter on God's patience ends with "a prayer for when all you can see are your failures," and the chapter on the way God shows his love to us ends with "a prayer for when your best doesn't feel good enough."

This is a tonic for weary souls, especially for those who wearied by a voice of condemnation from within. It is refreshing and deeply encouraging.

“Incredibly Freeing”

I received Peace Over Perfection compliments of The Good Book Company in exchange for my honest review.

Peace Over Perfection is the debut title by Faith Chang and one that I greatly enjoyed. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a firstborn, but I’ve always considered myself to have a Type A personality. In many ways, and for many years, I’ve put pressure to perform on myself in ways that the Bible doesn’t. Peace Over Perfection was such an encouraging read for me. This is a book I can see myself reading again because of how helpful it is. I felt like Faith was with me as a friend gently guiding me to the beauty and freedom of the gospel.

As I read, I felt understood and also relieved that many burdens I’ve placed on myself aren’t actually mine to carry. One of the greatest encouragements to me from the book is how Faith gently addresses perfectionists. Rather than just assuming that every Christian who struggles with perfectionism is prideful, Faith acknowledges that those who struggle in this way often have the best intentions and truly do want to honor the Lord.

I found the chapter, Providence, particularly encouraging, comforting, and freeing. It was a sweet reminder of God’s sovereignty over my imperfections and the beauty of His redeeming power in them. Each chapter concludes with a prayer for the perfectionist written by Faith and the prayers are drawn from Scripture.

Additionally, Faith is an excellent writer which added to my enjoyment in reading. If you are a Christian who struggles with perfectionism, you will be greatly encouraged by Peace Over Perfection. I’m pleased to give it my highest recommendation and eagerly anticipate reading more by Faith.

“Truly Wonderful Book”

This book was a God-send. I have struggled with perfectionism all my life including in my relationship with God. The author's words spoke to and comforted me greatly. It saddened me to learn that others feel and think as I do, but in some ways it also helped to know that I am not alone. I am grateful for her vulnerability in sharing her struggle and her courage to share what God has spoken to her. I hope she writes more in the future. Thank you Faith Chang.

“A book I didn't know I needed.”

I never saw myself as a Christian perfectionist until I read this book. Perfectionist is not even a word that I would use to describe myself. Do I have areas that I am organized and like those things to stay that way? I most certainly do, but I do not have a great organizational system. It was not until Chang pointed out that Christian perfectionist often struggle with not "getting it right" all the time that leads to this type of perfection.

I often struggle with maybe if I would have shared the gospel in a better way then that person would have become a Christian. Maybe if I knew more about Theology then I would have been able to answer that question. Through reading this book, I was able to see that I often rely on my own power to save a person rather than relying on God. This was a book that I did not know that I needed to read because it pointed out areas in my life that I am not fully putting my trust in the Lord. Instead I spend my time contemplating the "what ifs."

Through out the course of this book, Chang uses her own personal struggles to show we are not alone in our fight against Christian perfectionism. I am grateful for her willingness to share her personal struggles with the world. This book would not have had the same impact on my life if it was not for Chang's vulnerability.

If I am honest, I felt like the prayers at the end of each chapter were very surface level. After being convicted in many ways, I would come to the time of prayer at the end of each chapter and I felt as if those prayers were nothing in comparison to how I was feeling after reading each chapter. Each chapter showed me areas where I was trying to save the word from a life in Hell without the one who can save them.

“A peaceful, encouraging read!”

“The invitation to come to Jesus is an invitation to be known.”

“Perfectionist” isn’t a word I’d use to describe myself; my phone storage is always full, I don’t have great organizational systems, and if you ride in my van, please don’t look around much 🫣
But Chang startled me with her description of perfection. “Though we usually define perfection by what it isn’t - ‘without fault,’ ‘flawless,’ or ‘free from error’- the fuller meaning of the word is ‘absolute’ or ‘complete,” she states. “[Perfection] smells more like the sweet nectar of a spring garden than the antiseptic of a surgery room.”
Armed with this new perspective, I saw myself in every page, and was left in awe by her encouraging words about who God is and who I am.
The all encompassing feeling from these pages: a deep, soul cleansing breath 💗

You’ll love this if you:
•have struggled with feeling “not good enough”
•have experienced legalistic teaching
•are looking for an encouraging, easy read
•want gentle encouragement to let go of toxic mindsets

Bonus: In complete honesty, I don’t always love prayers/questions at the end of chapters - it can feel so cheesy 🫣 BUT I loved the prayer prompts in this one as much as the content in the chapters.

Some favorite quotes:

“If drawing nearer to God is the goal, maybe we can aim to return to him a little quicker when we fall instead of staying away because we’re not yet perfect.”

“Through the law, we see how God fiercely protects the true, beautiful, and good.”

“In the goodness of creation, God gives me a taste of the Spirit’s freedom. He leads my soul to a spacious place.”

“He is fully committed to the real, whole you. Fully known, you are truly loved.”

Thank you @thegoodbookcompanyusa for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own 🤗

“The Book I didn't Even know I needed”

I originally picked up this book because it resonated so much with the tagline ---- even though I know I am saved by grace, I am constantly trying to earn God's gold star of approval.

I am grateful for Chang's willingness to share her personal struggle with striving for perfection, specifically in the area of her faith. I think we all at times desire to be better,to do better, and that's not inherently wrong. But, it is when we become crippled by our constant repetition of sin, or allow shame and guilt to keep us from seeking God, we have a problem with perfection.

Change does a wonderful job of inviting us into tension—sanctification is the act of becoming more like Christ, so striving to be more like Him is a good thing. But in that striving, we embrace grace, we turn to Jesus, the perfector of our faith, not shamefully hide from Him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that they are never good enough to be loved by God, whose lack of "getting it right" all the time leads to distancing themselves from the Father.