Imperfectly perfected <3

Before I even type one more thing for this post, I want to say that I am mindful of a group of men who just returned from Cuba to install working toilets and sinks for a church that had none AND I am picturing our sweet friends in Kenya who will be shaking their heads at what we American’s consider to be “problems” …. but an American home is what I live in and so this viewpoint I share today is from the perspective of the time and place from which I write.

I pray it translates because Truth is universal, it is just experienced differently in the time and location God has plunked each one of us into on this globe.

It is hard to believe we have been in our house just a little over two months now. I can say it felt like home from the start.

Our things have fit in well, but we had to change some pieces around for different uses.

Since interior decorating is not on my short list of natural talent, I have been availing myself of the variety of internet resources to help configure furniture and accessories.

I look at catalog pictures and the overwhelming material provided by Pinterest and I have even resorted to furniture store websites to get ideas.

It’s all great except for one little glitch.

Invariably as I attempt to recreate a pleasing arrangement in one of the rooms of our home, I hit a snag.

Because apparently the people that live in the photo shoot houses do not need to plug their lamps and appliances in.

They simply do not have cords coming out of all things electrical.

Seriously, take a close look at these images and you will not see cords draped across tables and across carpeting to reach an outlet.

However, here at the Reimer house…we need cords and outlets and such to power our lights and gadgets.

So no matter how hard I try to model the lovely, clean lines of a desk in the center of the office; our reality resembles a Medusa’s head of snarled cables and lines running from the computer, printer, and modem to the power strip and then to the wall. Once there it does a nice little meet-up with another cord extending to the floor lamp in the corner.

Those picture perfect rooms have eliminated the guts of what makes a house run , and I end up shaking my head and wondering why we can’t be “perfect”.

We are exposed to so many visual images of stylized perfection in our culture.

It can seem like everyone else is doing home, family, marriage, health, career…whatever matters most to you…better than you.

We must guard our hearts against the disease of comparison. Have you felt it’s symptoms as I have? They include dissatisfaction, envy, ingratitude and discontent.

I don’t think the antidote comes from looking for the proverbial dangling cords in other people’s living rooms, nor offering a pitiful “well, at least we have a living room” form of gratitude.

I think the answer comes in realizing that this life is flawed and far from perfect.

We were not created to manufacture perfect anythings.

We were created to bring glory to the One who is PERFECTING us…through trials and tribulations…through a desire to walk ever closer to Him…through our best efforts and our worst failure…daily walking out this journey with HIm.

So wherever you are on this spinning planet today…take heart from one of my favorite benedictions…

To Him who is ABLE to keep you from stumbling…

and to present YOU before His glorious presence…

without fault (perfected!!!)

and with great JOY –

to the ONLY GOD our SAVIOR

be glory, majesty, power and authority…

through JESUS CHRIST our LORD…

before all ages…

NOW…

and forever more!

Amen <3

Jude 1:24-25