As I was searching for shells with my youngest kiddo this morning, I over heard myself give him this advice, “Only pick up the perfect ones. The pretty ones, without cracks or broken spots.”. Outwardly, this wasn’t bad advice. I bet you choose your shells based on the same filter. But inside, I felt myself gasp. Am I possibly giving my kid this advice?? The same kid who my whole heart longs to teach to love those in life who aren’t perfect– those who circumstances outside their control have left them with cracks and broken spots. I changed our conversation to “ooh, tell me what’s beautiful about THAT one!” as he continued to bring me beautiful, yet flawed shells. I am so crazy thankful for a Saviour who died for me, the imperfect version. Not the version of me without cracks or flaws or mistakes. He chose me, and died a horrible death on a cross for THAT me. And I’m so thankful for kids who have eyes that don’t search for perfection in people. They are forgiving of differences among people and want to love everyone, regardless of their outward appearance– the color of their skin, the scars (seen and unseen), or mistakes they have made. I pray my children continue to understand that search for perfection, both in themselves and in others, is a setup for disappointment. Striving for excellence and obedience to a perfect savior while learning valuable lessons through the failures is a lot harder to do than one would think but it’s my daily prayer for my children, my husband, and myself. We are no where near perfect, but we are trying hard to make the world a better place, one moment at a time.
The Brooks Family 