“Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a
wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (NIV)
There were two tests that every
girl must pass in order to become the perfect runway model at Henshaw’s
Department Store. When standing straight with your feet together your legs must
touch at the calf and knee, and you must master balancing on one leg while
supporting a book on your head. My legs were too skinny to touch and my poise
was poor so after my 8-week stay in modeling school, I was dismissed—epic fail.
My charm, composure, and stature,
had no merit in the modeling world, which I was certain to be the perfect
career for this sixth grader. Any hopes of draping trendy outfits plucked from
the department store racks over my tall frame for the Fall Fashion Alive show were wasted.
In spite of my failure to be model
perfect I still had a measurable dose of confidence and self-esteem and learned over the years as my relationship with Christ grew, that God doesn’t expect perfection from
me. With that I can breathe a sigh of relief. He created my legs and the rest
of my body exactly as He intended, off balance and broken. I, like everyone
else have flaws. When I look closely at the defects in my character I have to
make a choice. Do I remain the same, convinced that I am whom I am, or do I
seek to make a change to become who Christ intended me to be?
As I read God’s Word, the Bible, I
learn how to act, think, and speak in a way, which pleases Him. In addition I
learn that as I read, I need to apply what I have learned to my every day life.
And contrary to what others believe, choosing to follow what is written in the
Bible and following God’s standard for living righteously doesn’t hinder my
fun, it hinders my pain. God desires progress not perfection
Since leg liposuction and knee
augmentation are out of the budget I have to rely on the fact that I can still
pop a wheelie on my bike to make a good impression, unless my ridiculously
delicious made-from-scratch carrot cake sounds better since my modeling skill have been shelved.
1.
What imperfections are you allowing to keep you
from believing that you are perfectly created by God?
2.
What changes can you make today which allow for
more Christ like character?
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