Perfectly Imperfect

Recently, I listened to Smokie Norful’s latest Cd titled Forever Young.  It’s a great album! There’s a song that I believe accurately describes how God views us in light of our imperfections. The song is appropriately titled Imperfect me.  The title alone brings to mind so many virtues and flaws at the same time . It’s a constant reminder of our need for God. It talks about the necessary process of God developing and sculpting our humility and identity in Him.

HUMILITY

The hook says, I’m a bird with one wing, a song with no melody, but some how I fly and sing because of how you (God) see me. It takes humility to identify and acknowledge our imperfections. However, I can’t help but to think how many times we gauge God’s love for us by our perfection. Like we have to be perfect to experience God’s true love for us. When in actuality Romans 5:8 says, “…God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s word not only demonstrates his love for the imperfect me, but brings to my awareness a need for a Savior. This understanding alone is a daily reminder of humility before both God and man. We live in a world in pursuit of perfection, and that obsesses over success. The reality is, aside from God, perfection is unachievable, because of our imperfect sin nature. It’s in the process of that pursuit we are faced with our own imperfections. God wants us to respond humbly and give our imperfections to Him. We humbly  trade our weakness and imperfections, for His strengths.

Perfect

IDENTITY

knowing who you are in light of Christ. The chorus says, What do you know that I don’t, and how do you hear that song in me, I say I’m lost, You (God)say I’m Free, How do you see the Good in imperfect me. Knowing who you are in Christ is so important! When you know who you are, who God created you to be, He can begin to use you for His glory. So many times we search for our identity, and search to identify with someone or something, outside of God. We expect things, positions , titles, money, associations, statuses, and relationships to define us and give us purpose. When in actuality everything listed above is just a functional role in which we play, that can never take the place of purpose. Roles are temporary and seasonal. Identity, knowing WHO you are, and purpose knowing WHY you are, is eternal. When we put ourselves in those roles and begin to be USED to fill those functions, without the fundamentals of knowing our identity in Christ and our purpose, we leave ourselves open to be AB-USED. God is our creator and manufacturer, if you will. The Bible is our instruction manual. Our who and why is found only in Him.

FROM HOW TO SO GLAD-PROGRESSION OF SELF

The progression of the song accurately depicts our gradual understanding of who we are in Christ. I must admit, like everything in life, there is a process. Contrarily, to belief our perfecting process is filled with imperfections and weaknesses. God is a MASTER at making nothing into something. Turning weakness into strengths. Taking imperfections and perfecting. 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul said, ” Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” HOW Christ takes our weaknesses and through His grace and Spirit empowers us with supernatural strength to overcome,  is simply amazing. Our HOW GOD? Turns into SO GLAD! At the beginning of the song it’s talking about how God perfects us. At the end of the song it’s so glad He perfects us . As is with life!  A series of perfecting events, hurdles, triumphs, failures, and victories that make you presently ask HOW is this going to turn out? To SO GLAD I experienced that it made me better!

My prayer for us : Philippians 1:6 ,”being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.