Perfectly Imperfect...
"Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God." Pope John Paul II
It's not too often that you find a life lesson in a mindless task! This past week I got so caught up in a simple project, that I couldn't help but see a message from God in it. Ill confess, right now, that without the use of my IPhone, I feel incomplete. I use it for everything and to an extreme I'm dependent on it! Well, it came time for me to replace the protective screen on this little mini version of my life. And so, for about an hour and a half on a Tuesday night I worked to complete this task. Mind you, I'm a perfectionist who easily looses patience so for me this task was beyond frustrating.
Beads of sweat coming down my face, lint collecting on my screen, curse words flying out of my mouth, I tried again and again to make the screen look perfect as I reapplied it over and over. And I found myself receiving a message from God as I did this. The message was no matter how hard you try, how long you search, how good you believe you are, we aren't ever going to be perfect people and love will have to endure imperfect.
For some time, in my mind, I have had the notion that once you fall in love, life is completely butterflies and rainbows,and you never face another challenge again. In my head, the fantasy is that God has waiting for me a completely perfect man. And that searching, I feel has been equivalent to my experiences sitting on the floor in my room trying to fix this screen.
The first step I took was to borrow a new screen from my friend. Mistake #1. I thought all I had to do was borrow the screen, try one time to put it on and it would work. Then I sat in my room trying time and time again to make this perfect connection between the screen and my phone. But bumps and bubbles continued to pop up. Next, I got frustrated and mad. I started yelling at my brother who was eagerly cheering me on. The quick fix was to look online for tips. Credit cards, rulers, I tried all the techniques. But time was running out. The adhesive was wearing thin. I turned to my dad, maybe he could make it perfect. He tried and left me with more bubbles than I had begun with. I walked away and took a break. I ate dinner and thought of other things, then complained to my friends about how horrible and frustrating this was as I found a website that said I didn't even need a screen. Finally, I knew if anyone could fix this it would be my mom. Of course she tried. Then decided maybe I needed a new screen so she was on a quest to find a new one somewhere in the house. An evening down the drain later, I got the original screen I had on my phone and trimmed the edges to fit under my new case. I placed it on my phone. There are bumbles in it and it's far from perfect. But I left it.
I left this imperfect cover on my phone as a reminder. That, long and boring, scenario was such a perfect representation of my life, my journey to find love, and maybe all our journeys as humans to find love among one another. You see I turn to my friends, wanting to borrow love they've found in their lives. I've tried to do it alone. I've found myself frustrated over and over again at imperfect fits. I've turned to my parents, my brothers cheer me on from the sidelines. I let go. Turn my mind to other things. But here's my final hope and my final prayer. That like the phone screen, I stick with my own heart and find a love with someone who isn't perfect. Someone with bubbles, and lint, and a little short on the edges. But someone, who loves me perfectly and who I can love perfectly.
Earlier I said that I have a fantasy that God has a perfect man waiting for me. Here's the truth, that man, I have come to know will be far from perfect. But what God knows is, he will be perfectly imperfect for me.
You get a lot of chances with phone screens. As frustrating as it is, you can replace them at the store easily. Love, you might only get one chance at that. So don't let imperfection stop you from finding it. Yes, lean on friends and family in your quest. But ultimately, I believe you have to trust God and your heart in this journey. Don't give up on the people in your life when you find out they are imperfect. That's probably when they need your love the most! And know that in all love, perfect isn't the goal. Trusting that God will allow us to embrace the perfectly imperfect is!
It's not too often that you find a life lesson in a mindless task! This past week I got so caught up in a simple project, that I couldn't help but see a message from God in it. Ill confess, right now, that without the use of my IPhone, I feel incomplete. I use it for everything and to an extreme I'm dependent on it! Well, it came time for me to replace the protective screen on this little mini version of my life. And so, for about an hour and a half on a Tuesday night I worked to complete this task. Mind you, I'm a perfectionist who easily looses patience so for me this task was beyond frustrating.
Beads of sweat coming down my face, lint collecting on my screen, curse words flying out of my mouth, I tried again and again to make the screen look perfect as I reapplied it over and over. And I found myself receiving a message from God as I did this. The message was no matter how hard you try, how long you search, how good you believe you are, we aren't ever going to be perfect people and love will have to endure imperfect.
For some time, in my mind, I have had the notion that once you fall in love, life is completely butterflies and rainbows,and you never face another challenge again. In my head, the fantasy is that God has waiting for me a completely perfect man. And that searching, I feel has been equivalent to my experiences sitting on the floor in my room trying to fix this screen.
The first step I took was to borrow a new screen from my friend. Mistake #1. I thought all I had to do was borrow the screen, try one time to put it on and it would work. Then I sat in my room trying time and time again to make this perfect connection between the screen and my phone. But bumps and bubbles continued to pop up. Next, I got frustrated and mad. I started yelling at my brother who was eagerly cheering me on. The quick fix was to look online for tips. Credit cards, rulers, I tried all the techniques. But time was running out. The adhesive was wearing thin. I turned to my dad, maybe he could make it perfect. He tried and left me with more bubbles than I had begun with. I walked away and took a break. I ate dinner and thought of other things, then complained to my friends about how horrible and frustrating this was as I found a website that said I didn't even need a screen. Finally, I knew if anyone could fix this it would be my mom. Of course she tried. Then decided maybe I needed a new screen so she was on a quest to find a new one somewhere in the house. An evening down the drain later, I got the original screen I had on my phone and trimmed the edges to fit under my new case. I placed it on my phone. There are bumbles in it and it's far from perfect. But I left it.
I left this imperfect cover on my phone as a reminder. That, long and boring, scenario was such a perfect representation of my life, my journey to find love, and maybe all our journeys as humans to find love among one another. You see I turn to my friends, wanting to borrow love they've found in their lives. I've tried to do it alone. I've found myself frustrated over and over again at imperfect fits. I've turned to my parents, my brothers cheer me on from the sidelines. I let go. Turn my mind to other things. But here's my final hope and my final prayer. That like the phone screen, I stick with my own heart and find a love with someone who isn't perfect. Someone with bubbles, and lint, and a little short on the edges. But someone, who loves me perfectly and who I can love perfectly.
Earlier I said that I have a fantasy that God has a perfect man waiting for me. Here's the truth, that man, I have come to know will be far from perfect. But what God knows is, he will be perfectly imperfect for me.
You get a lot of chances with phone screens. As frustrating as it is, you can replace them at the store easily. Love, you might only get one chance at that. So don't let imperfection stop you from finding it. Yes, lean on friends and family in your quest. But ultimately, I believe you have to trust God and your heart in this journey. Don't give up on the people in your life when you find out they are imperfect. That's probably when they need your love the most! And know that in all love, perfect isn't the goal. Trusting that God will allow us to embrace the perfectly imperfect is!
Comments
Post a Comment