Perfectly Imperfect
Life Change
Life as we know it is changing, or maybe I should say that life as we know it has already changed. We live in a social media society. So many of the things that we see online are fabrications of real life and portray people and objects as perfection. Honest moment: most people in most pictures don’t look like that in real life.
Picture This
Picture One: You look like America’s Next Top Model but everyone else looks like they just rolled out of bed.
Picture Two: You look like Sloth from The Goonies, but everyone else looks immaculate.
Which picture are you choosing to post? Be honest.
Why is this the case? It’s because we find it so easy to fall victim to the criticism of others. The fake lifestyle that the internet provides and the skewed view of perfection leaves us all seeking something that is unobtainable. Everything that we do is studied under a microscope, and people are quick to offer their critiques. The internet has made everyone a critic. I’m not saying that this is all bad, because believe me, some things need to be critiqued; however, oftentimes we find ourselves giving in to the criticism and losing our inspiration to create because we feel like we cannot stack up to the perfection that we see online.
This is something that I had to learn to deal with early on. I had trouble showcasing my creativity, because I was so worried about what the critics would say. I found myself having a hard time stepping back and seeing that what I created was good until I looked at the One that created everything.
Good God
If we look back at the story of creation, we see the showcasing of the most spectacular display of creation to date. God created everything, but it’s not enough to just say that He created everything. Take a look at Genesis 1:3–4:
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Did you catch that? Let’s try this again with Genesis 1:9–10:
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Notice that each time God creates something that He identifies it as good. Now think of all that God has created. Is anything perfect? Are you perfect?
A perfect God created an imperfect man and was able to step back and look at His creation and still see it as good. I feel that the sooner we can grasp this as a society, the better off we will be. The sooner we are able to understand that we were created as imperfect beings and that God still sees His creation as perfect and good, the sooner we will be able to escape this fake perception of reality that we see online. It’s in times like these that we find ourselves in need of a return to normalcy.
Accepting that you and your work will always be imperfect will give you the freedom to keep growing. For example, I believe that my imperfection actually allows me to seek God more fully. When you are able to recognize that you are not perfect, you will find yourself pursuing God more and more each day.
Blinded
There are so many reasons to let go of our own efforts to perfect ourselves. The apostle Paul explained one of these so profoundly: our own efforts to perfect ourselves can blind us to our need for Christ.
Paul spent years trying to obey God’s law, but it was encountering Jesus that changed everything (Galatians 1:11–16). It was in that moment that he realized that his own efforts were not enough to be whole and right with God. If they had been enough, “then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21).
As imperfect people, we seek and need a perfect God. Like Paul realized, if we were already perfect, then why would we need to follow Christ?
Perfectly Imperfect
We need to learn to think of ourselves as Perfectly Imperfect. Do not pay attention to the “perfection” that you see online. It is not real. Below I have listed some ways that you can start to think of yourself as Perfect and Imperfect, but ultimately Perfectly Imperfect.
How Are We Imperfect?
Every human being is imperfect because of sin. We’ve all been born with this thing called “the flesh” which is our sinful nature.
Most of the world is driven by the flesh. The world sets its eyes on money, fame, and beauty.
When we were born again, the Holy Spirit began to dwell inside of us and now we can overcome the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit.
“…For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”
Romans 3:23–24
How Are We Perfect?
Every human being is perfect because we are a creation of God. God created us in His image.
We are a reflection of God’s perfection.
We have to remember, as Christians, that God resides in us when we are saved.
“…that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…”
Ephesians 3:16–17
