Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day has dawned in the great state of Florida! :)
Earlier this week I had a bad attitude and my behavior was unacceptable. As I sat back and reflected on what my thoughts, attitude, and actions were, I was not...let's just say, they were not in line with what I expect from myself. And as I was pouring my heart out to God, there were two clear things that came to me; 1) This is why I need the Lord. If I were perfect, I would have no need for a perfect God. And as this thought came to me, I felt His love, mercy, and grace wash over me. I am reminded that conviction comes from the Lord, condemnation comes from Satan. Yes, I had failed however I have a God who still loves me and wants to lead, guide, and direct me, if only I will let Him. 2) None of us are perfect.
How many of us, in our drive for perfection, let one failing moment or one mistake dictate the rest of the day, the next day, week, month, or perhaps, the rest of our lives? Society tries to sell us on this idea of perfection - the perfect face, body, life, family, job, etc. And NONE of them exist! There are problems, challenges, and flaws in literally everything. Right now I am sitting out on the back porch of a condo over-looking the ocean. There is literally nothing between me and incredibly clear waters but beach. Perfect, right?!?! Well, it is cloudy and pretty humid this morning and there is a fairly significant breeze. Not "perfect" however I feel very blessed to be here in this moment right now.
What would our world look like if we lived our lives with that perspective? It is easy to have that perspective when you are sitting on the back porch at the beach but how about when it comes to living our day-to-day lives? Though you undoubtedly are imperfect, your life has great meaning, value, and purpose. Do you feel blessed to be living it? Though your spouse/partner and/or children are imperfect, do you feel blessed to have them in your life? Your job is not "perfect", none of them are...are you grateful that you have one and do you work tirelessly to honor the opportunity that is before you to make a positive difference, to make things better? None of us are perfect, there are not perfect situations and how we live our lives will be impacted, in large part, by our perspective of those imperfections.
There are a few things I want to throw out to you this morning for you to ponder, Sweet Friend.
1. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, created on purpose for a great purpose for which you are perfectly equipped. Your faults, failures, and setbacks do not define you...God does. Please, speak life to yourself and relentlessly pursue all that you were created to be. And, when you stumble and/or fall, get back up, learn the lesson, and keep moving forward.
2. You matter and your life matters, greatly! Please stop measuring yourself against perfection and simply be the best you are capable of being today. You are so much greater than any mistake that you may make.
3. Please remember, like you, others have their faults, failures, and mistakes as well. Just as yours do not make you unlovable, their failing moments don't make them unlovable either. Let's not hold others to a standard we don't want to be held to, to a standard none of us can achieve. We ALL need love, mercy, and grace. It's a matter of perspective, it's an intentional choice.
I want to end this Happy Friday with a few quotes for you.
"Making mistakes is better than faking perfection." - Unknown
"My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents." - Unknown
"You don't love somebody because they're perfect. You love them in spite of the fact that they're not." - Unknown
"Imperfections are not inadequacies, they are reminders that we're all in this together." - Brene Brown
"There's no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections." - Unknown
"Warriors of light are not perfect. Their beauty lies in accepting this fact and still desiring to grow and to learn." - Paulo Coelho
"I make mistakes every day. I'm not perfect in my behavior, but I want to be and that's what God is after, a heart that wants to be." - Joyce Meyer
"I can't imagine moving out of this life without leaving behind a healthy family - not a perfect family, but generations who will continue to love each other. Our family isn't perfect, but I couldn't be more thrilled with every one of them. Best of all, we enjoy each other." - Gary Smalley
"No family is perfect, but God can rebuild broken walls and restore lost dreams. By the grace of God we must do all we can to keep families strong and full of the hope that comes from fulfilling God's ideal." - Dr. David Jeremiah
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! :)
Kev
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