For the Christian Woman Tired of Trying to Be Enough | A Book Review of Perfected by Bethany Broderick

Amber Thiessen
Jul 16
6 min read

We live in a culture that rewards performance, praises productivity, and often ties our worth to our success. For many of us—especially those who’ve grown up in the church—this mindset can quietly seep into our faith. We strive to be good enough, holy enough, useful enough. We aim for perfection, not always realizing how weary and heavy-laden we’ve become.

In Perfected: Trading Shame and Striving for Wholeness in Christ, Bethany Broderick invites us to lay down the exhausting burden of self-sufficiency and rest in the finished work of Christ. With pastoral warmth and biblical depth, she leads readers through the tangled lies of perfectionism and into the freedom of gospel-shaped wholeness.

For the Christian Woman Tired of Trying to Be Enough | A Book Review of Perfected by Bethany Broderick

Content

Purpose of the Book

Table of Contents

Summary

My Take: From Striving to Surrendered

My Recommendation

Quick Stats

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Scriptures About Being Perfected in Christ

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quote from perfected by bethany broderick

Content

Purpose of the Book

Written for those burdened by the weight of striving for sufficiency and satisfaction, Perfected offers an invitation to lay it all down at the foot of the cross—including the guilt of sin and the ache of imperfection. As we do, we are freed to experience the rest and wholeness found in Christ.

Introduction

Part I: The Lies

Chapter 1: Law over Love

Chapter 2: DIY Religion

Part II: The Truth

Chapter 3: A Right View of God

Chapter 4: A Right View of Ourselves

Chapter 5: A Right View of Salvation

Part III: The Promise

Chapter 6: Assurance of Faith

Chapter 7: Enduring Hope

Chapter 8: Love-Motivated Good Works

Chapter 9: Biblical Community

Conclusion

Summary

She’s divided the book into three sections.

In Part 1, Bethany explores how culture shapes the way we live out our faith—often through the lens of busyness. We begin to measure every activity like a balance scale, hoping that enough good will tip the weight in our favor and make us appear “good enough.” But this kind of legalism inevitably leads to dissatisfaction, guilt, and anxiety.

In Part 2, she helps us develop a biblical understanding of who God is, who we are, and what salvation truly means. She reminds us of God’s love and faithfulness—His unchanging character—highlighting Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.”

We’re then invited to bravely and humbly examine ourselves: created in God’s image, made with limits, and designed for good works. She speaks to our forgetfulness and gently calls us to live as those who are deeply loved by God. Finally, she turns our attention to the biblical teaching on salvation. When we’re worn out from striving, it’s a sign we’ve forgotten the grace of the gospel. She calls us back to our union with Christ—the One who has, is, and will perfect us.

In Part 3, we explore what it means to live out our life in Christ—with confidence before God, secure hope, strength for good works, and a deep connection to other believers as members of His body. The shame we carry may lead to insecurity. The imperfections we notice may leave us feeling weak, hopeless, and alone. But in Christ, those lies are overcome by His grace, goodness, and power.

Each chapter ends with a truth to remember, reflection questions to consider, and a short list of further reading for deeper meditation.

My Take: From Striving to Surrendered

I grew up a perfectionist.

Maybe it’s because I’m a firstborn. Or because of the high expectations from my parents.

Maybe it was because I did well in school. Maybe it was because I was a tomboy, playing sports with the boys at recess—trying to be better than they were, just so they wouldn’t tease me for “playing like a girl.”

Maybe it was because I learned to love that feeling of being great at something.

Maybe it was the influence of my youth leader, who challenged us to grow in our faith, lingered with us in the Word, and called us to live differently.

I grew into a woman who loved studying the Bible, serving the church, and wanted to live that out in every possible way.

I believed perfectionism was a good thing.

Until I started seeing signs that something was wrong.

I got married in my early twenties—blissfully in love. But it only took a year before I began to wonder if he truly loved me. I started questioning all the ways I wasn’t good enough for him, all the ways he now knew for certain I wasn’t perfect. Was I really enough for him?

Then we moved to Tanzania as church planters. The pressure cooker of culture shock, language learning, and cross-cultural teamwork exposed my flaws in ways I hadn’t seen before. My imperfections showed up in glaring brightness under the weight of ministry.

I wanted to make a difference—to proclaim the gospel, to bring light into dark places.

But I often found myself sitting in a sweaty heap on the porch wondering: Was anything I was doing good enough?

Then came parenthood. The joy of welcoming children into our lives was real. But so were the reminders of my limitations. My temper flared when I was tired and aching. My best efforts to keep her safe sometimes failed. Was I a good enough mom?

After a violent home invasion, we returned home. Gratefully, we were guided to a godly Christian therapist as we began to heal. Through that journey, I came to understand that the “not good enough” mantra had become a deep, pervasive trigger in my life—not just in how I related to my parents, my husband, or my kids, but especially to God.

Sometimes I responded by trying harder, striving more. But the result was always the same: more shame. Because I could never measure up. I could never be perfect. I began to believe I wasn’t truly worthy of being loved.

Perfectionism, in fact, isn’t a good thing.

With that startling realization, I found myself asking: Now what? I felt unmoored—uncertain of who I was, and unsure whether I would still be accepted by God if I stopped striving. Was His grace truly sufficient for all my weaknesses and imperfections?.

But through wise counsel—and the gentle work of the Holy Spirit—I was reminded of the truth of God’s Word: who He is as faithful and loving, gracious and merciful. And what Scripture says about who I am: a sinner saved by grace.

Saved. By. Grace. Alone.

Not by my feeble attempts to earn it.

And I learned—and am still learning—to accept my weaknesses and limitations. To stop doing in order to earn, and instead live in the strength God gives—for His glory, not my own, and for the good of others. Ruth Chou Simons writes, “Grace is not the reward in itself; knowing Christ is. Grace simply makes it possible for you to stop striving for yourself and strive out of love for God instead.”

So I practice slowing down. Reflecting. Discerning my motives and ambitions. Rooting out old habits of self-sufficiency and striving. Resting instead in God’s promises and His presence. Living faithfully still requires effort—as Colossians 3:23 reminds us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”—but in Christ, we are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1) and empowered to live faithfully, wherever God has us.

It’s no longer about being perfect—it’s about being faithful.

And if any of this sounds familiar—if the weight of perfectionism or the exhaustion of striving resonates with you—then Perfected is the guide you need to reorient your heart and mind to a biblical worldview.

My Recommendation

If you’ve been weighed down by your imperfections—striving to be perfect and feeling flooded with guilt when you fall short—you’ll find encouragement in these pages. We weren’t created to make ourselves perfect. It’s a fruitless pursuit. But when we embrace the grace and goodness of the gospel, remembering that salvation can never be earned, we discover the true rest and wholeness found in Christ.

Highly recommend!

Quick Stats

# of Pages: 223

Level of Difficulty: Easy

My Rating: 5 stars

Scriptures About Being Perfected in Christ

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Heb. 10:14)

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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. 12:9)