Let’s talk about that pressure to be perfect.

No sense wasting time. Let’s jump right into it. Today’s Questions:

• Do you struggle to measure up?

• Do you feel pressure to be the man everyone expects you to be, rather than who God made you to be?

• Do you carry the burden of being the “perfect” husband, father, or friend?

• Do you feel like you’ve got to be the GOAT in every area of your life?

Let’s face it: we’re men. And with that comes a heavy dose of competition. A recent Harvard study on men’s health shows a spike in anxiety driven by the pressure to keep up appearances. Perfect family. Perfect job. Perfect house. Perfect post. Perfect everything.

It’s exhausting. And spoiler alert: perfection is not possible.

Even this past week, we had our own humbling moment. We’ll spare you the details, but let’s say we laughed hard, and then we paused to be thankful. Thankful that we serve a God who knows exactly who we are, flaws and all.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”2 Corinthians 12:9

If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need God. We wouldn’t need grace. And we certainly wouldn’t need each other.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”Proverbs 3:5-6

At Seven24, we’re convinced that we grow stronger through relationships with God and one another. Not fake relationships built on image, but real friendships grounded in grace, honesty, and brotherhood.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”Proverbs 17:17

This kind of friendship gives us a release valve. When the pressure is too much, it’s good to have people who don’t expect us to measure up—but instead, remind us of who we really are.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”Psalm 139:13-14

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Not perfectly made.

Let that truth release some stress in your life today. You weren’t created to be the GOAT. You were created to live under the grace of God and to walk through life with others who get it. Because they’re not perfect either.

Have a great week.