How to Fix the Imperfect Places

There are a few things you need to know if you’re going to stay at my house.

#1: If you use the oven, be sure to turn both the top and bottom oven on at the same time. If you don’t, an incessant beeping will ring throughout the house for the extent of your oven use. Oh, and don’t forget to trip the breaker when you finish or the beeping will start again.

#2: The rail that leads up the stairs. Yes, it used to be all black, but years of playing and chasing and sliding and scraping have turned into into more of a masterpiece of scratches from top to bottom.

#3: If you use the bathroom off the kitchen, lift up on the door handle a little to be sure it’s completely shut. Otherwise you may get a surprise visitor!

I’m sure most people would fix these things, but they don’t really bother me. In fact, I often smile as I walk to and from the breaker box around dinner time or run my hand across the damaged rail.

Because, I don’t actually see it as damaged. Instead, I think it makes us unique. It tells the story of our imperfections and reminds me of the lives that created them.

But it’s tempting to meet imperfections a different way, isn’t it? We see the scrapes, the quirks, the anything-but-perfect places in our lives and instead of embracing them, we shudder. We exhaust ourselves trying to make everything perfect and actually miss the great benefit of imperfection. (Yes, I said benefit!)

In her  new book, Breaking Up with Perfect, Amy Carroll points us to the value of acknowledging our imperfections and what to do next. She says,

Only when I end my pursuit of perfection can He begin His perfecting work in me.” Amy Carroll, Breaking Up With Perfect

End the pursuit of perfection? That sounds a bit extreme. Surely we have to get it together before we come to Jesus. Our journey with Him can’t really begin until at least some of these quirks get fixed, right?

Like when I became a mother. The joys of the little ones danced through my house, and I committed myself to be the perfect mom. Which naturally included baking birthday cakes and growing flowers. That’s what good moms do, right?

I baked my first birthday cake when my oldest son turned one. After that I decided to limit my birthday cake baking to first birthdays. But then I kept having kids and the birthday cake commitment fell by the wayside.

And the flowers, let’s just say not one flower I’ve touched in my 10+ years of trying has survived. Not one. Not even the ones people swear you can’t kill … apparently they’ve never met me.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

Did you catch that? Jesus began the work. And Jesus will complete it. No effort needed from us. But, the fun thing is His definition of perfection won’t always match ours.

Jesus is still working on me, but I haven’t become a better baker and don’t even bother with plants of any kind anymore. Luke plants the flowers at our house. (And they survive, go figure).

I have, however, learned to love, serve and bless my family in ways I never would’ve worked on had I not surrendered my pursuit of perfection and let Jesus take the wheel.

Let’s Talk! How is our pursuit of perfection different than God’s work within us? How is He perfecting us and making us more like Him?

As a celebration of the release of her book Breaking Up with Perfect, Amy is giving away a copy of her book here this week. Please leave a comment to enter. If you’re living in warp-speed, simply say “I’m breaking up with perfect!” in the comments.