Perfect imperfection

I’m not perfect. Shocked? I daresay, you’re not! Even if you’ve never met me face to face, I have no doubt in my mind, perfection is not what you would expect from me. If you have met me, then you know for sure...

I used to believe that perfection was a goal. It was an expectation. It was attainable. I remember the priests praying “be perfect as Christ was perfect.” Anything less than would mean I wasn’t trying hard enough, I wasn’t smart enough, I wasn’t good enough, I was letting people down. I was letting God down. It wasn’t until I read what God thought about me that I was able to shake those unhealthy, unrealistic, untrue thoughts. Isaiah told us the God has called us by name and we are God’s. Jeremiah told us of God’s plans for us…plans to prosper. David in the psalms reminds us God formed us in our mother’s womb, created us just as we are. And he also told us oh so many times of God’s forgiveness and love, of God’s steadfastness, of God’s faithfulness and hope. And let’s be honest - David was kinda a thug sometimes and he knew of God’s love for him. Jesus told us how beloved we are, how important we are to the body. He taught us how to love, how to live. Not so we would be then be perfect in God’s eyes and worthy of love, but because he wanted us to live our lives in truth, mercy and peace knowing we are never alone and we are ALWAYS loved. Perfection was never in the picture.

Being human is hard work. It’s even harder when there are other humans around. Admitting mistakes, errors in judgment are difficult to accept. But, we all have to do this. There is not a single one of us who perfect. We are beloved and imperfect. Let’s all live in this truth. Love ourselves as God loves us and love one another the same way.