Monday, November 2, 2015

This Broken Heart is All You Want


Perfection- something we all strive for, right?
Or at least that is what our world tells us
The perfect hair, the perfect body weight, the perfect car, the perfect job
The perfect emotional reaction, the perfect speech, the perfect ministry
Oh and not to mention the perfect boyfriend and husband

What exactly is perfection anyway?
What defines a perfect body?
What defines the perfect life?

The Webster dictionary defines perfect as; having no mistakes or flaws, completely correct or accurate, having all the qualities you want in that kind of person, situation, etc

Mistakes? Yup, I have made 4767862178 (in just the past year) 
Flaws? Yup, I have a few many
Completely accurate and correct?- I know this is shocking, but I am wrong... alot 
Having all the qualities you want in a person, situation, etc-  Depends on who you ask about me :) 

How are we supposed achieve a life of no mistakes or flaws? We won't
And we will never live a flawless life because we were never designed for that in the first place

The thing is, we ALL fall short of His Glory
We all fall short of perfection
Yes, even that woman you think has it ALL together

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.”
Romans 3:23

It is one thing to hold ourselves to a high standard
It is another thing to hold ourselves to an impossible standard
We need to know the difference

I have been listening to my favorite song on repeat lately

"If You sought perfection
I'd die trying to reach it
But this broken heart is all you want"

A beautiful reminder that the Lord really just wants our hearts
Broken, flawed, and imperfect 
We were never designed to try and reach perfection

However, the enemy wants you to believe that perfection is the only way to live abundantly
But that is not the truth

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 
John 10:10 

But whether we like it or not, living abundantly as a Christian does not always mean easy
An abundant life will also include pain and heartache
It includes feelings that are unstable and unpredictable
It includes moments of living in financial scarcity and abundance 
It includes dreams that will be fulfilled and some that won’t

But living an abundant life also means we live under God’s good Grace
We live free from guilt
Free from shame
Free from pressure
Free from expectation
Free from letting ourselves down

And are justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24

So, how do we do that?
Well, we live in a fallen world and perfection will never be attained or fulfilled this side of heaven
But to start, we don't have to have all the answers all the time
Sometimes all we need to know is the next right step
And all we need to do is muster up the courage to do that ONE thing
The rest will reveal itself later

And while we are here on this broken, yet beautiful world, I have a challenge for us;

Let us be women who strive for progress, not perfection

Women who hold ourselves to the standard of Grace, not perfection
Women who chase our God given, beautiful dreams, not perfection
Women who accept that when we fail, we are simply human, we are not a failure
Women who let the Word define us, not the world
Women who speak out of love and not out of fear to be perfect
Women who build each other up and not tear down
Women who value each other and not disrespect

Let us be women who believe in the forgiveness of God
Let us be women who live boldly and courageously knowing we are covered in God’s Grace
Let us be women who live confidently that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God’s own hand

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - Psalm 139:13/14





3 comments:

  1. You are so wonderful:) Love your positive encouragement girl! xoxo Katie

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so beautiful! xoxo Your words speak straight to my heart. I lean so much towards the perfectionist side of the spectrum so the Lord has been reminding me over the last year or two that He desires my heart, mess and all. He loves me despite my horrible attempts at being "good enough" and He loves me regardless of what I do or don't do. So thankful for that! Love that... progress not perfection!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear how you are enjoying your journey!