The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
One of my favorite authors was the late great Mike Yaconelli. He was a California guy and one of the founders of an organization called “Youth Specialties.” Two of my favorite books of his are Dangerous Wonder – The Adventure of Childlike Faith and Messy Spirituality – God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People.
Here's an excerpt from that second title:
“…Christianity has a tradition of messy spirituality. Messy prophets, messy kings, messy disciples, messy apostles. From God's people getting in one mess after another in the Old Testament to most of the New Testament's being written to straighten out messes in the church, the Bible presents a glorious story of a very messy faith. Sounds like you and I are in good company. Messy Spirituality unveils the myth of flawlessness and calls Christians everywhere to come out of hiding and stop pretending. Messy Spirituality has the audacity to suggest that messiness is the workshop of authentic spirituality, the greenhouse of faith, the place where the real Jesus meets the real us.”
I think this is so true. To put it another way: God loves me just as I am; but loves me too much to let me stay that way! As much as I am motivated to be holy and perfect, it is obvious that most times I am not very holy, and definitely not anywhere close to perfect. Just ask my wife, my kids, my co-workers, strangers on the street, etc. But my worth to God is not in my perfection – my worth is in the truth that I am a child of God. And thankfully my imperfections lead me to rely on God in deeper ways.
Once I remind myself of that – I can relax and allow God to mold me, teach me, and make me what He intends.
Don’t you find it exhausting trying to be perfect (or appear to be perfect) all the time? It is so draining trying and working so hard. I have come to realize that faith is less about self-discipline and more about surrender. Being perfect is not as important (nor is it attainable) as being open, willing, and available to God’s leading in my life.
If you’re going to work hard at something today – work hard at surrendering to God’s plan for you. It might be messy, but it won’t be boring. Be a recipient of God’s "annoying love for an imperfect person."
God bless you!
Gary
