Imperfect People

Imperfect People in love with a perfect God

Share your story

Imperfect People - Imperfect People in love with a perfect God

Tag Archives: Imperfection

No Judgment

You work.

I stay home.

You buy on credit

We save up for our purchases

You like designer purses

I like yard sale purses

Your house looks like a museum

My house looks like we have kids

If you judge other people you have no time to love them

–Mother Teresa

You had your baby in a bath tub

I got an epidural

I use Cloth diapers

and you think I’m weird

You don’t talk to your Mom.

I call mine every day.

You sing hymns.

I rock out.

You are a morning person

I am jealous

You hate tattoos.

I think they’re cool

Your kids don’t watch TV

Mine do

In the same way you judge others you will be judged -Jesus

You shop therapy

I garden therapy

Your kids NEVER misbehave

Mine….ha ha ha ha!!  Oh sorry was I laughing? 

You are shy

I can talk to a wall

You are organized

I am forgetful

You say “you guys”

I say “yall”

You try to live your life the best way you know how.

So do I.

And we don’t need to let the little things divide us.

 

Inspired by Storing up treasures

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.K???

On our ride home the other day our 5 year old started singing, “YMCK” complete with the (wrong) hand motions.

Like any good parent I realize the significance and importance of teaching our children the CORRECT way to sing this disco classic lest you be the crazy person at wedding receptions doing it wrong.  So I jumped in, “No it’s actually, “YMCA, like this see?”

ymca-of-the-rockies1-300x250

I expected, “oh well clearly, you are older, wiser, and such an incredible dancer (ok maybe not that part) then you surly know the correct version of the song, thanks oh wise mother of mine for your guidance.” …or something like that.

But instead she was INSISTENT that it was Y.M.C.K.  Now several days later she is still 100% sure her version is correct.  Happy to sing the song incorrectly while dancing across the living room floor.

It occurred to me…this is so me and God.  Time and time again I say, “no my life should look like this God”  I can think of times in my past especially when I was young when I thought:

I SHOULD have got that job GOD!!
Me and this guy should have worked out!!
I don’t want to move Or I want to move.
I know what is best!!!

And I can see God, knowing the correct way my life should go, knowing what is best and how crazy my life would be if I “sang the wrong lyrics”  Just smiling…Yes honey that’s one way to “sing” but I know the best way.

I bet I seem a little ridiculous when I am insistent I know what is best.  I have a limited vantage point,  limited resources, brain power etc etc…. yet in my stubbornness I can STILL become convinced my way is best.

There have been many times where I have cried, and fought it, yet God’s way won out in the end.  I don’t know why I am ever surprised but His way is ALWAYS better, ALWAYS perfect, and ALWAYS necessary.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
 Romans 12:1-2

Today she sang “homie” instead of “holy” to her seeds family worship CD I’m not gonna lie I thought it was kinda funny but, I should probably correct her before her sunday school teacher starts asking her to rap.

Just like the song lyrics our father knows SO MUCH better than we do.  He is fully capable and fully aware of what is best for your life, we just have to let go of our way (it’s usually wrong anyway) and trust in His.

IMG_2350

 

In defense of Miley and other teen stars

I spent the last week trying to ignore the Miley Cyrus circus at the VMA’s.  But everywhere I look or listen there she is.

miley

(Picture source)
A crazy awful performance that left everyone appalled.  Just like in the 80’s when Madonna danced around in a wedding outfit singing “like a virgin” Just like when Brittney spears performed half awake shortly before shaving her head.

britney-spears-bald-head-4

80s-madonna

(Brittany picture source) (Madonna picture source) 

I try to stay away from controversy but I can’t help but notice…when did everyone become so insanely tremendously Judgmental??!!

As a society we want EXPECT these starts to be:

  • Pretty but not over the top
  • Talented but not vain
  • They should be “moral” but we all define that differently
  • Skinny but not too skinny
  • Heaven forbid if they get fat
  • Perfect bod, perfect makeup, and dress

If they mess up any of the above it will be on 10 magazine covers, 200 gossip sites, millions of facebook updates and the topic of the morning talk shows.

If I had that kind of pressure at the age of 20, I think I would shave my head too.

Now hear me out.  I am not saying this is a cop out.  I wish everyone in the spot light new the gravity of their behavior as young minds try to model them. But unfortunately fame doesn’t come with instructions and I’m not sure anyone would obey them anyway.

There are girls Miley’s age dancing scantly at bars on any given weekend Miley just has a MUCH larger audience.  They are both just looking for love and attention in the wrong places.

Can we  extend some love and acceptance knowing that she is made for so much more??  Who am I to point out her not so fabulous performance?  Yes I thought it was awful but she has 2 of the top 10 hits on itunes so people can’t be that appalled.

Here’s the deal, we all do stupid things (especially at 20 years old).  I want to be friends with Miley, Brittany, and “you fill in the blank star”.  And tell them they are LOVED.  They are made with great purpose. and they are worth more than cheap attention.

The buzz of this performance will soon  pass but I hope she hears the message of love over hate.  While we certainly don’t like her performance we love her as a human being.  She is still God’s little princess made perfectly imperfect Her value in the world’s eyes is so temperamental and fleeting.  I pray someone close to her will show her her amazing and priceless worth in God’s eyes knowing she is a precious jewel meant for so much more than what the world offers.

9438

I wannabe a weirdo

We are all subject to peer pressure whether we admit it or not.  But when your peers are doing some questionable things its time to go against the grain.  Here is a snapshot of our typical “normal” peer in America:

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, at least 8 million Americans are at least one month behind on their mortgage payments at this point.

Average household debt in the United States has now reached a level of 136% of average household income.  In China, average household debt is only 17% of average household income.

Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.  Today,one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid.

The average US household credit card debt stands at $15,216 

Average mortgage debt: $148,443

Average student loan debt: $32,054 (source)

Of all countries, the United States has the highest rate of obesity. From 13% obesity in 1962, to 35.7% in 2010 (source)

55 percent of all marriages result in divorce. (source)

Research indicates that people who live together prior to getting married are more likely to have marriages that end in divorce. ” The Boston Herald

The average American spends 2.7 hours a day watching TV (source)

“More than ever before, work dominates people’s lives in this country” –Joanne B. Ciulla,

One-third of children age 8 – 17 believe their parent has been always or often worried or stressed out about things during the past month.

weirdo

If the average “normal” American is financially upside down, unhealthy, overworked, in a bad relationship and stressed out…then I don’t think being normal sounds so fun.

Craig Groschel wrote a book (I highly recommend) called “Weird because normal isn’t working” that states, “when people describe his family as weird, he finds comfort.”  I couldn’t agree more.

The bible tells us: If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. John 15:19

“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first”.-Jesus

Living differently sometimes results in criticism.  Going with the crowd can be so easy that being “weird” requires seeking correct guidance and it isn’t always  the easiest route.  I don’t want our family to be a statistic.  I want us to be…well…weird.  

I want to be so WEIRD I save up to buy things and delay gratification instead of buying on credit.

I want to such a WEIRDO that I could stand living with less if it means I can have less stress and more time with my family.

I want to be the WEIRD family that guards the media that comes into our home.

I want to be so WEIRD that I eat food whose ingredients I can pronounce.

I want so be so WEIRD that I take INTENTIONAL time with my husband so we can still be in love years after the, “I do.”

And I want so be criticized for saying NO to something good so I can say YES to something great.

What do you think about all this weird talk.  Are you a weirdo too?

Social Media and the view of “perfect”

Have you ever scrolled through your Facebook, read a few tweets, or read a blog of someone’s “perfect life” and felt a little inadequate?

It’s not like anyone means any harm. The very idea of social media is to share updates and highlights of our life. We are fascinated by it! We even follow stars we don’t personally know to read and see their last post.

We highlight the good, fun, and interesting part of our day.

Take for example, this picture I took the other day and posted to instagram.

myWPEdit Image

An outdoor picnic on a beautiful day with two sweet girls. Awww isn’t it sweet? And it was…at this particular moment.

What I DIDN’T post was 10 minutes before that when our youngest peed in her pants. Or when our oldest exclaimed how this was the best idea ever…until a mosquito bit her and it instantly turned into the “worst idea ever”.

Scrolling through my recent feed you can also find pictures of the hubs and I on a date, some DIY projects we have done in the kitchen, my recent batch of canned tomatoes, and of course, cute pics of the kids. And then it hit me….EUREKA!! It almost looks like I have it all together! This is not good! I have a blog called imperfect people for crying out loud! And then I laughed hysterically knowing how I am truly far from perfect.

What you WON’T find on my feed is pics of hubs and I in an argument, the flaws and frustrations in our DIY projects, the huge mess that was our kitchen after canning tomatoes, and when the kids are driving us to the funny farm.

The problem is, We compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.

The truth is, my reality is messy, unorganized, without makeup, designer clothes, famous names or places. My typical uniform consists of a T shirt, faded shorts, no make up and a ponytail. In fact I typically look like a college student that just rolled out of bed (that is prematurely aging). I can’t possibly keep a clean house no matter how hard I try, and every time I think I am spiritually “mature” I am knocked down realizing how much I really, I mean REALLY need Jesus in every part of my life.

What I am coming to realize is EVERYONE feels this way. I know now behind the scenes of even the most “perfect post” are often far less than perfect. Reality is what makes us…well REAL!! It makes us who we are and who we are created to be.

myWPEdit Image

Emily from, Remodeling this life, says: I am learning each and every day that we all struggle with these things when we see other people’s lives. Is it just what we do –stuff down the bad stuff and put on a happy face? At least focusing on the happy face and the good stuff at the end of each day reminds that in the middle of all the bad, imperfect parts of me and my life, there is good to celebrate.

It’s a good reminder that we all have something worth sharing.

Celebrate with your friends their triumphs and journeys, but don’t compare yourself! It’s a trap that we can never escape.

myWPEdit Image

photo credit

We all have a mess behind the camera (often times literally when taking a picture of the house!!)

I am certainly not suggesting we share the less than perfect times in our lives but certainly DON’T stop sharing the good stuff!

Social media is a wonderful thing. I almost forgot how we got along without it! But it is merely a glimpse at each other’s life. Reality if often much different. Even when reality isn’t great, sharing the few nuggets of “awesome” in your day make you, and all your friends smile. And with that…my latest post:

I’m off to eat some “perfection!”

myWPEdit Image

Don’t be a stranger! Click here to subscribe via email.

If at first you don’t succeed (or get laughed at…)

The Rolling Stones performed their first United States college act on May 4, 1965 at my alma mater, Georgia Southern University.  The opening act reportedly “saved the show”  as the Rolling stones were reported “easily forgotten.”

Abraham Lincoln almost never won an election until he was elected to the white house.

Walt Disney decided on a career as a newspaper artist, drawing political caricatures or comic strips. But nobody wanted to hire him as either an artist or even as an ambulance driver for that matter.

Elvis Presley only failed one class in school, and it was music class.

In 1987 George Foreman was a 38 year old man who hadn’t boxed for 10 years. He was 70+ pounds overweight and literally laughed at when he made a comeback for a charity fight.  Seven years later, he was the Heavyweight champion of the word.

Actors Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood were fired after co-starring in the “Riverboat” television series.  Burt, recalled, “They said I had no talent and Clint’s Adam’s apple was too big,”

International singing star Julio Iglesias was discouraged from singing when he was a teenager. When he auditioned for the school choir in Madrid he was turned down. The teacher told him he couldn’t carry a tune.

Lucille Ball got thumbs down when it came to acting. Just one month after she started attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts her mother received a letter from the school saying, “Don’t put any more money into this. This girl will never make it.” (source)

In a high school art class, his teacher insisted “you will never learn to draw, Theodore (a.k.a Dr. Seuss). Why don’t you just skip this class for the rest of the term.” Later, he would reflect on this moment stating “I’ve capitalized on my mistakes, since I can’t draw, I’ve taken the awkwardness and peculiarities of my natural style and developed them. That’s why my characters look that way.”

I’m so glad these stars didn’t stop at their first rejection.  Failure is a natual part of of success!  Take this famous quotes for example:

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
Michael Jordan

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Thomas A. Edison

We were all created perfectly imperfect.  Just like Dr. Seuss I wonder if we “take our awkwardness and peculiarities” and developed them into something awesome.  We are all made with unique talents and skills, finding them is the fun part!
I love you perfectly imperfect people!

Confessions

  1.  My desk is swimming in paper.
  2. I just cleaned off the master bathroom counter for the first time in way too long.
  3. I am a hypochondriac and have self diagnosed myself with every thing web MD has to offer.
  4. I text more than a teenage girl who just saw Justin Beiber at the mall.
  5. I just realized I never sent my grandmother a thank you note from Christmas. (that one is pretty bad)
  6. I think I need more sleep than the average person. 
  7. I am rarely on time for anything, especially when I am going somewhere with both kids.
  8. Right now my garden looks like a hot mess:
  9. I am slightly obsessed with Kisses from Katie
  10. I have friends that think I eat all organic.  Excuse me while I wipe the chips off my face.
  11. I made an A in college calculus yet I need a calculator for simple math
  12. I have tried to wake up early for the past two weeks to work out. Yet..see confession #6. 
  13. I used to REALLY like rap..like a lot.  Now, not so much.
  14. I HIGHLY despise cleaning toilets.  We have hard water which makes it even worse. 
  15. My kids are usually dressed like this:

Notice the princess dress on backwards, and the dress sweater, lounge pants and boots 5 sizes too big. 

Now it’s your turn! They say it’s good for the soul ya know!?  What do you want to confess today?

Help me not feel so weird!

I have no idea what I’m doing

I have no idea what I’m doing with a blog.

I am not a writer or journalist by any stretch of the imagination.  I once had a post that mentioned “angles” (as in triangles) instead of “angels” (as in spiritual being).  I can’t honestly remember why this seemed like a good idea to start with.

 

With one silly post almost a year and a half ago this blog started.  At first I was UBER excited about it.  I annoyed all my friends until they subscirbed.  And now I secretly get really embarassed anytime a friend mentiones she read it.

This past Christmas I converted everything to a word press…which was kinda like having my teeth drilled with no anesthetic…only much longer and more annoying.  Word press is great, I just, well, have no idea what I’m doing.  935 Google crawl errors later, I  seriously considered just quietly closing up shop.

Then God confirmed what to do in a way I certainly didn’t expect.

In one week I had two strangers take the time to email me to let me know something they read here made a difference in their life.

If God can use a girl who can’t spell, writes sporadically, and lights up Google’s error logs like a Christmas tree…then my friend He can use you too!

Thank you for taking the time to read, the sweet people that share it with their friends, and your patience as I try to figure out what in the world I am doing :)

Mannequins make great models

Today is a guest post from Cecila.  She is a missionary in Haiti and is an amazing writer.  She is sharing her post today about feeling “imperfect” and it is BEAUTIFUL!  I hope you enjojoy!

It must be lovely to be a mannequin; to be perfect in every way and to never have to struggle with emotions.

Sometimes it’s typical to think that missionaries have this “all together”, “picture perfect”, “I’m-working-for-God”, “queue the angelic music” kind of life.

Contrary to popular belief, we experience;
doubt,
fear,
loneliness
and anger.

There are times, when we feel so alone, the lizard on the wall seems to be our only companion. We look at the little creature, and in all of our loneliness, we talk to it (don’t worry, this doesn’t happen a lot). We get pissed to the point where we yell at the coconuts hanging on the tree for not falling (or falling). We get tired of having to communicate in a language other than our own. We look at the fellow to which we are trying to explain something and start to blab in English (yeah, it’s kind of awkward).

We have days when we ask ourselves why are we in a third world country – where showers are cold and bathrooms are scarce. Why are we in a country whose currency can be counted in two ways (gourdes and Haitian dollars) and the electricity is never consistent; in a place where everything takes two times longer and is usually done backwards. We ask ourselves these questions and sometimes feel a tad bit clueless and somewhat confused. These feelings and emotions aren’t something that disappear as one mounts on a plane to enter the mission field, in search for the will of God. We have no halo, we carry no wings.

We are humans (in a foreign country), trying to conquer the mass of arrows and darts life throws at us. We are humans who have experienced the Grace of God on our lives. This Grace, so intense, so pure, so precious that we can’t help but share it with others. And we seek to spread it. This is why we do what we do. Far from perfection and still learning to deal with our vast array of emotions we look to hold the orphan, shelter the parent-less and teach those who would otherwise never get an education.We give of the Grace that was so freely offered to us.

Oh! To be a perfect little mannequin would indeed be ideal, but then I would never have the ability to receive this wonderful Grace and participate in his perfect purpose.

Thank you Cecilia!  You are wise beyond your years!  Please feel free to check out her personal blog or her families blog and see what a cool difference they are making in Haiti.