DIY projects are great and I love writing about them, but every once and a while I like to share a bit of my personal life and struggles and hope that you can benefit from them.
Charming Imperfections is not just the name of my business; it has become an ideal or motto for my life. It applies to my DIY projects and furniture projects in that it’s the flaws in a piece that give it character and life; the imperfections are charming. But the phrase means so much more to me on a deeper level because I am a charming imperfection.
I fail miserably all the time! There are so many times when I think I could not be worse at doing life than how I’m doing it now. I look at myself and see a woman who does not have her weight where it should be (and is way past the excuse of “just having a baby”), someone who says things she shouldn’t, someone who doesn’t always treat her husband with the respect he deserves, a woman who is selfish of her time, who doesn’t always make the wisest parenting choices, and a housewife that can’t keep up with cleaning and hates to cook! And the list could go on! There are times when I just don’t like myself.
I can’t be the only one that feels this way sometimes. I know there are other woman that do not have it all together. That don’t have beautiful houses, perfect children, a healthy body, and happy marriages. In fact, I’m willing to guess that there are very few (if any) that do. So, if you are reading this and you can relate, don’t stop reading because it’s been a depressing post so far. There is light up ahead!
Look at your body
Imperfect and ugly is what I see. I never do my hair, I still have acne, and my diet and exercise should have started years ago.
But, God sees someone made to look like Him:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27
God has power to do whatever he wants, and since there is evidence all around us say that He loves beauty, it stands to reason that He would make Himself to be beautiful. God is beautiful. When He looks at you who was made in His image, you know what he doesn’t see? Imperfections. What He sees is a charming woman who desperately needs to let go of this destructive thought process in front of the mirror.
He sees charming imperfections.
Look at your Marriage
Totally imperfect! I could do so much better at making our marriage fun and loving, but so often I make it hard on Mr. Charming with my snarky comments or lack of interest in him. I can be such an awful wife at times!
But, Mr. Charming loves me because he loves God who is merciful to me.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” Ephesians 5:25
Mr. Charming loves God. That I am assured of, and because of his devotion, he obeys God’s command to love me, his wife. Now, that is not excusing me from giving my 100% effort into this marriage. There are just as many verses out there about a wife’s duty, but it means I don’t have to worry that it will all end when I fail because there is mercy.
No wonder God uses marriage as a portrayal of His relationship with us! Which brings me to my next failure:
Look at Your Spiritual walk
Ack! How could I let another day go by without reading the Word? Why do I fall into this rut of seeing time with God as a chore and not a precious thing? I am a horrible Christian sometimes!
But…
“As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.” Psalm 40:11-12
Just like when I do something stupid that hurts Mr. Charming and he turns right around and forgives me, so does Christ! I know I hurt Jesus by my apathy and lack of respect, but every time I come to him sorry and regretting what I’ve done He, out of pure love (and not begrudgingly) wraps me in His arms with mercy and forgiveness. He loves me anyway.
He is enamored with his Bride, the church. Though we are incredibly imperfect, when we surrender to Him, He chooses not to see the imperfections, but the parts that are charming.
Look at your Kids and Home
I want so much good for Jordan, but I am so far from being the perfect parent I should be. Whether it’s my lack of knowledge or experience on the subject, exhaustion, or just plain selfishness, I make a lot of mistakes as a parent.
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
As parents, we will not get everything right. That’s a guarantee, but the beauty is that none of that matters as long as we get this one thing: teach them about God. As long as we, though we blunder along the path, walk in a way that is fully devoted and lead by that example, we will have been the best parents possible. The little mistakes we make on a daily basis don’t matter when the primary focus is right.
This applies to our homes as well. So, you don’t have clean all the time ever. So the decorations are so-last-year. So what!?! If yours is a home that stands for truth and righteousness, then feel free to let things go a little. It’s ok.
We are Charming Imperfections
No one is perfect! How many times have we let that go in one ear and out the other? We hold ourselves to these unreachable standards that not even God expects of us. We think our bodies should be this perfect shape and size, but God says He’s made you in His image: beautiful. We mess up our marriages with our attitudes or lack of caring, but there is mercy because of Christ’s love. We stumble along the path of righteousness, but are given the chance to repent and have that sin cast away. We feel inadequate as parents and look in dismay at our houses, but none of that matters as long as under your roof, the gospel is being lived out. There are so many things that make us imperfect, but it isn’t healthy to dwell on those things. Instead, pick yourself up, say sorry, repent, and focus on the things that make life wonderful. Remember that we are all just charming imperfections.
Just wanted to add that this doesn’t mean we can throw in the towels and give up trying to be good people. It’s just a reminder to have godly standards for ourselves.
I absolutely love this. I’ve been blogging and talking a lot about imperfection this week and your post is wonderful. I love how you point to all of the things that people have and although they aren’t perfect, they are important and they make us who we are. Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely be following you
Heather recently posted…3 Reasons to Get After Your Goals {Printable}
Thank you so much Heather. I really just wrote that post to remind myself of those important lessons, but I’m so glad someone else was able to benefit from it!