Imperfection – Devotion 75

We seem to be obsessed in our world over “perfection”.  I’m not sure that anyone really knows what that actually looks like.  But it is something everyone seems to lean towards.  We want it to be perfect.  If a product has a spot on it, we don’t want it.  Wendy and I receive fruits and veggies from a place that tries to salvage the products that consumers will not buy in the store.  They don’t buy them because they are imperfect.  They are not rotten.  They are actually delicious.  But they had some imperfection that made it impossible for them to place them on a shelf at a store.  Consumers wouldn’t buy them with whatever was wrong.  Sometimes I look at a fruit and can see the imperfection.  But most of the time, I can’t even tell.  I realize just how consumed we are by only getting the best.  Enough food to feed the world gets thrown away because it isn’t perfect.

That same thought pours into the remainder of our lives.  It somehow spills over into our thoughts of ourselves.  We begin to evaluate our own lives by some imaginary measuring stick which is impossible to actually achieve.  On social media, we post the best parts of our lives, making it seem that another level of perfection is achievable.  We tend to hide the difficulties or struggles when we see someone in person, even our close friends.  We want to have a persona that we have it together – or at least are on that path.  We work hard to cover or correct the things which we consider imperfect.

What if our imperfections are actually what make us beautiful?  I know that is a lot to take in or grasp.  But those things which make us unique, different than anyone else, could be gifts.  It could help us to realize that we were not created to be like everyone else – so we don’t need to live up to their standards.  We are meant to live as the beautifully different creations made by a loving and caring God.  He didn’t make a mistake when he made us.  He made someone unique and amazing.  Maybe we try embracing our imperfections as gifts that help us to be uniquely us.  We are, after all, God’s beloved.

Focus Scripture:

Isaiah 42:5

⁵ Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery