The Imperfections of Life

Little children. They are so precious. So innocent. You watch them pretend when they are at play, and the world is at their whim. They dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer, singer, mommy, or teacher. The world is a safe place in their eyes and they are happy. They are loved. As it should be.

Teens. They start to get a little jaded. They see that not all promises come true. People don’t always keep their word and “friends” can sometimes be downright cruel. They experience hurt and heartache for the first time. But they also still dream. They dream of taking on the world and making a change. Being different. Making an impact.

Then we arrive in “adult land.” It’s fun – but not as much fun as we dreamed it would be. The imperfections of life have arrived. We battle that unexpected weight gain after our second child.  We wipe away our tears when our spouse ignores us, says hurtful words, or embarrasses us. We struggle with depression.  Somehow, our children aren’t the “good” little behaved children we thought they’d be.  We seem to always have a huge pimple on the morning of an important occasion. And those we thought would always be closest to us – aren’t.

It’s life.  And it is full of imperfections. The imperfections that you are never told, when you are a child.

We seem to always look at the missteps. The things we never planned on. The paths we didn’t want to take. And we overlook the imperfections that entered our life that were beautiful. Touching. Joyful.

When we look at the word “imperfections” we experience negative feelings. But imperfections can be freeing and they can provide just the right “uniqueness” our lives need.

Our lives are full of positive imperfections that we never dreamed we’d deal with when we were kids. Imperfections like having a “surprise” child late in life; who is the most precious, adorable thing. Someone we never could have imagined living life without.  Imperfections like stumbling across that “best friend” at church. Moving for a job and realizing you adore your new city more than your hometown. Financial blessings that we don’t deserve. Allergies that surprisingly cleared up when we turned 40.

Imperfections.  They don’t have to be bad. And they aren’t always. They are simply life’s “surprises.” They are the unexpected. The adventurous. The “different.”  They are the gifts we never asked for and sometimes didn’t want.

We are so quick to label things especially when they are things we can’t control. But life has a crazy way of reminding us we aren’t the “boss.”

Just as a child draws a picture that isn’t perfect, or a young girl bakes her first batch of misshapen cookies – life has its own imperfections. And they can be beautiful. They can be blessed. They can be full of love.  We just have to be ready to accept them. Be willing to look for the good.

It’s there – waiting to be found.