Imperfectly Perfect

I have a room in our house that was long ago designated “The Craft Room”.  It really is just my space as my husband rarely steps foot in it.  I have creative leanings that require me to be trying, making, inventing, producing bits of art.  For me, there’s something satisfying in imagining something pretty and working at taking it from an idea to an actual finished product.  Craft stores make my heart beat faster; thus the need for a room dedicated to all the treasures I collect in those places. 

I admire people who can draw and paint.  I’m pretty good with stick figures but that’s about as far as that goes.  I’m better at taking paper or fabric and turning them into something.  As part of my former job, I made graphics for promotion purposes and that part of my task list was my favorite.  Using those creative juices was fun and fulfilling.  Writing poetry uses that creative part of my brain as well as I attempt to create a picture from words on a page. 

I also am a bit of a perfectionist which sometimes limits my creativity.  In sewing projects, I abhor ripping out things that didn’t go together quite right.  I’ve been known to throw away a handmade card if I feel something is off.  I think I would have a hard time with pottery as there are so many ways a piece can go south.  I have tried being less critical of my finished projects, but there’s something in my left brain that tends to see the imperfections.  Photography is fun, but far more photos get deleted than saved. 

I have been working on letting go of my perfectionism and trying to see the beauty in things that are not necessarily the way I pictured them.  I’m learning to allow things to be a little left of center.  It’s beginning to dawn on me that not everyone has the same hang ups I do and they see something as beautiful just the way it is.  If a quilt corner is a teeny bit off, at least I don’t put it down and never pick it up again.  That’s progress!

This growth in my own life of being satisfied with less than perfect should also carry over to people.  It’s easy to believe that everyone should think like me or behave in a way that matches my personal integrities.  Not everything is so black and white, right or wrong.  We are all like puzzle pieces with different shapes and colors such that when you look at them individually, they don’t seem to fit.  But when you find where they belong, they contribute to a beautiful mosaic that when you stand back and look, makes perfect sense. 

It makes me think about what God sees when he looks down on all of us.  We look around our world and see a giant chaotic mess, but He sees the beautiful mosaic of the pieces fitting together into the design he intended it to be.  Not to say that we don’t all have work to do, because we do certainly manage to make a mess of things that would be easier to throw out and start over.  And well, God did that, too.  But I have a feeling he doesn’t stress about our imperfections because He sees with perfect vision.  And he knows every single one of us can be redeemed for the good of the finished masterpiece. 

I’m giving myself the freedom to let God be the master designer.  I’m also giving others the freedom to be who they are and still appreciate them for our differences as well as our commonalities.  I’m currently making a quilt for my ten-year-old granddaughter.  She picked out the fabrics and helped with the design.  I might have chosen different patterns or colors, but she loves it the way it is.  And I am beginning to see it come together in a great way that is just perfect for her.  I will not be pointing out the corners that don’t match perfectly because I have a feeling she doesn’t care.  I’m still a work in progress, but I’m getting there! 

Let imperfections be beautiful in your life.  Accept that perfection really isn’t attainable anyway.  Don’t try to cram the wrong puzzle piece into the wrong space, or toss out the creation because something is a bit off.  Every single part of the project has a purpose and a beauty, including you and me, and we fit into the puzzle exactly the way we were designed to.