It isn’t perfect. Life isn’t perfect. Holidays aren’t perfect. 2020 wasn’t perfect. And honestly, 2021 doesn’t seem like it’s headed any place different.
If you’re like me, there’s this idea that floats around in my head, that maybe, if I plan well enough, or think hard enough my efforts will pay off and I will achieve perfection.
Sometimes I think maybe I can preserve what’s close to perfection by capturing a moment and making it last. That perfect moment where everything seems right in the world. Hoping to stave off any derailment in the future.
Capturing a perfect moment.
That may be one of the reasons behind why I really enjoy taking pictures of nature and beauty. I like finding a perfect moment, and making it last. But, can I really do that? I’m glad you’re asking. When it comes right down to it I’m not sure that I actually can.
A dear friend of mine who lives in the deep south had asked about my fairy-land winter wonder-land pictures of freshly fallen snow. She asked, “Wow, is it always that beautiful where you live?!”
And of course I wanted to say, “Yes, this is Canada. My world is pristine, perfect. The snow always stays white, and I am surrounded by beauty and perfection.”
But I think I made a promise to her (I know I promised myself anyways) that I would take some pictures of some not so perfect snow. And post it on my social media.
I mean, social media has this way of showing us the perfect, the glossy, the fun, the beautiful, the successful. But when it comes to our own lives, we can see up close that life isn’t like that. It’s far from perfect.
It isn’t perfect – at all.
It isn’t perfect. Sort of like how yellow snow isn’t. Oh dear. Once fresh, white and unspoilt – then it got messed up. I completely avoid yellow snow whenever I can – I don’t walk in it. To be truthful, I don’t really even like looking at it. In fact, until today, I had never even thought of taking a picture like this. It’s not pretty.
So, why exactly did I take a picture of something that was so far from perfect? I need to remind myself and those I share my life with – that the beautiful is mixed with the imperfect. That’s how life is. We don’t need to hide it. Life is messy and not always worth taking a picture – or is it?
The imperfect that we are learning to live with actually helps to enrich our lives in several ways.
I think I can hear some of you dear readers laughing and saying, “You’ve gotta be joking. Enriching? Are you crazy?!”
I’ve had a few thoughts about this today. Let me share with you.
First of all – Those imperfect things that really grate on us suggest where our values are, and what we want to be committed to.
I went for a walk with my son this morning, and I grabbed my phone and took a picture to illustrate this point. It bothers me somehow to see lovely little bushes smothered by piles of snow from a snow plow.
So why does it bother me? There’s something in me that values protecting and nurturing … and clearly, these spruce bushes are being squashed by large boulders of snow. They aren’t protected. Yuck. Not perfect.
Secondly – The imperfect reveals that we can’t really make anything happen.
Facilitate, yes. We can plan things, but we can’t make the outcome. Only God can make permanent outcomes.
I can illustrate this with something I noticed a few weeks ago. I went for a walk and realized part of my backyard fence was broken. At first I thought someone passing by my yard on the sidewalk had vandalized my fence.
Then I realized that the heavy snow laden tree branch of my lovely Colorado spruce had put enough pressure on the fence that an entire section had come loose on one side. Yes, we did make the fence repair (in the freezing cold!). But there’s a point here.
With that fence, I had planned and facilitated a boundary for my yard. But I realize that life just happens. Sometimes outcomes that we think we’ve perfected come undone.
Third – the process of becoming ok with imperfect doesn’t mean that we are settling for a less-than life.
We can tune our heart into the process that God is allowing and hear what He is saying to us in the middle of it. He will lead us through.
We can choose to trust Him and be at peace that He’s got our back. We can do our part and leave the outcomes in His hands. God is trustworthy.
He’s building our faith AND our resilience in life. By giving God permission to speak into our heart and by listening to a new perspective on life from God can change our feelings in the moment.
Choosing to dialogue with God, and asking Him where He is at work and what He is doing, can flip a moment of complaining and my urge to express how entitled I feel, into a moment of gratitude and peace.
“It isn’t perfect” doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying your life.
Remember, God is working all things together for our good. Romans 8:28.
We are more than conquerors because of God’s love for us. Romans 8:37.
Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Nothing. Romans 8:38-39.
God is walking ahead of us on our path. He is the Guiding Light that the Psalmist speaks of here. Psalm 119:105.
He who began a good work will be faithful to see it through to perfect completion. Perfection. Philippians 1:6.
It’s perfect for other people, isn’t it?
By the looks of social media, it’s easy to think that other people’s lives are all sunshine and roses.
But the reality is, we all deal with thorns and rain clouds. You really can’t have one without the other. You need the rain to grow the roses. And you can’t experience the beautiful rose without coming into contact with it’s thorns.
Now, you’d think that in my 47 years, the inner drive of wanting perfection would’ve relaxed a little. But, I like my ducks in a row. I like my efforts to pay off with order and beauty and success. Who doesn’t?
And if I’m honest, I’d rather keep my mess to myself and not splash it about on social media.
But if I look through the for bible for any length of time, I realize that so many of these people had flaws, made mistakes, just plain got it wrong (and that’s not perfect!).
And truthfully, I need to see all that imperfection. I need to read their stories and see how God worked it out for them.
This is how scripture helps me find perspective and hope in my own life.
I can track my progress in life by how I respond to imperfections around me. Also, I can start to see the other things that are present, things that are worthy of my focus.
And it’s ok to choose to focus on other things – as long as I don’t decide to camp there. I need to allow God the freedom to move me and my focus on to things that will grow me and set me free.
Yes, reaching for your best life is a good thing, but hoping that everything will always turn out perfectly and as expected can set you up for feelings of failure.
Here are some thoughts from God.
But with God, we never lose. In the process of dealing with imperfection or perceived failure. We gain the richness of experiencing God walking through the deepest trenches with us.
He doesn’t abandon us, but He helps us sift through our struggles so that we can find the gifts, the lessons – best of all so we can find the upgrades in life that He has for us.
Well, the year of 2020 definitely taught me that planning and thinking doesn’t guarantee perfection. It certainly does help you move forward. But I can’t really make anything happen. And even if something starts off pretty good, I can’t keep it perfect for long. So where do we go from here?
God reminds us that He is present and active in the middle of our lives – and when we complain that “it’s not perfect” He helps us navigate and He steadies us making us resilient and capable.
I pray you start to see the messy things of life differently and with God’s perspective, as He walks with you through the things that aren’t perfect yet.
Much love to you in your process and journey with God,
Jenn
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