PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
I stand in the gallery of my parents’ home (my childhood home) in Siparia, Trinidad in the cool early morning and look around at the lush foliage. A variety of potted plants line the banister, and plants of all hues, shapes and sizes abound in the gardens surrounding the house on all sides - too many to describe. I hear the ‘almost-loud’ chorus of birds of all kinds. Some are in the trees around, some fly overhead in playful pairs, and some call out from a relative distance loud enough to be heard. I hear roosters crowing, dogs barking and the sound of car tires smoothly passing over the road above.
Beautiful. Wonderful. My heart is full of joy and contentment Perfect. So close to nature, I admire the natural beauty of the plants, and God’s creatures. I cannot help but marvel at the greatness of the one who created such an intricately detailed universe and filled it with such awesome life forms - plant, animal, and human.
I thought of the pleasure I derived from this snapshot of nature and how God himself was pleased with His creation. He said in Genesis 1:24-25
“And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
Then I thought of how God created me in His very own image, and that I am perfect in His sight.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.”
As I simply fully enjoyed nature around me, I fully appreciated how God must feel when He looks on me, especially when, like the birds which were simply being and enjoying what God has graciously and freely provided for them (the trees, fruits, their ability to fly…..to sing), I simply surrender to His will for me, and live a life of simple faith in Him, my creator and provider.
“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:29-31)
Who am I then to question my beauty? Why then should I not love myself? If God created me in His image. If God loves me so much that he died and paid the price to redeem fallen mankind….me…. and has forgiven me and graciously clothed me with His righteousness so that I am perfect in His sight, why should I be filled with guilt and shame and self-loathing?
Why do I choose to listen to the lies of my enemy, the deceiver and father of lies as he speaks through my own condemning thoughts? Why do I choose to listen to others who mistreat and abuse me, judge me, criticize me, belittle me, remind me of my mistakes, point out my flaws, and label me?
God says in Romans 8:1 - “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” and in verse 31 - “If God Is For Me, Who Can Be Against Me?”
Yes we are human and therefore imperfect, but in God we are perfectly imperfect. God says I am beautiful and I choose to believe Him. God loves me and commands me to love my neighbour as I love myself. I choose to obey Him and love myself so I can love my neighbour.
Who will you believe? Who will you obey? Will you choose to love your perfectly imperfect self today, and like the rest of nature, just surrender to the will of God for your life, and trust Him to provide for you and take care of your needs? Will you trust God who loves you unconditionally to protect you, and just enjoy being your perfectly imperfect self
WWeekend Reset Tip:
Practice self-compassion this weekend. This requires that you observe yourself through the eyes of your loving creator and Father. Just as God (and I) appreciate and enjoy the rest of His creation, really look at yourself with genuine kindness and acceptance of your flaws and imperfections with grace and compassion. Use your journal to make a list of five (5) of your “shortcomings” and remind yourself that you are perfectly imperfect in the column beside each. For example, “I make foolish and sometimes costly mistakes”. Beside it you would write - “We all make mistakes. It is how we learn. It is o.k. to make mistakes; I will learn from them and move on.
Are you struggling to see your beauty and love yourself? I would like to help you. Schedule a call with me here to see if my course for women who are stuck, depleted and feeling defeated - ‘Recharge & Reset: Maximize Your Potential, Fulfill Your Purpose’, is for you. Check out my website as well, if I can be of service to you in any other capacity.
Sharon Carruthers, the author of the ‘Weekend Reset’ blog is a child of God, wife, mother of 3, a Human Resource Management and Development Consultant, and owner of the firm, ‘Bold Consulting’. She is sharing from her own experiences for women who are holding back, or living on autopilot; who believe their identities are in others and, or in what they do; or who neglect themselves while sacrificially taking care of others. She hopes that together Christian women can embrace the future with the beautiful hope of transformation one step at a time.