That P Word

Thank you all for your prayers for Leslie,
Bryan and little Will. Please continue to pray for a complete healing!

How to Be the Perfect ________________ (you fill in the blank).

We crave perfection. We want to know how to be the perfect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect boss, the perfect employee, the perfect . . . Or we want to have the perfect body, the perfect home, the perfect career, the perfect . . . Can you relate?

We are driven to be perfect. We continually compare ourselves to others, because we think they are “perfect”. Aiming for accomplishment by trying to emulate others only sets us up for failure. Trust me, I know this all too well! We only need to learn how to be the best person we can by being ourselves.

I have plenty of examples of when I tried to be “perfect” and it only turned in to disaster. How about when I tried to be the “perfect” mom only to realize later that I had totally missed the mark, squelched my child’s spirit and dampened the relationship? Or when I was to be the perfect image consultant only to have a major wardrobe malfunction? (It wasn't quite as bad as Janet Jackson's, just to let you know.) Or how I tried to be the perfect Army wife after reading “How to be the Perfect Army Officer’s Wife”? Seriously! You can just imagine how that had disaster written all over it.

Can you relate? I’m sure I’m not the only one with these types of adventures, right? Have you read a “how to” book? Did you do exactly as the book said only to have a disaster take place? Cook the perfect meal? Have the perfect family time? Be the perfect boss? Did you learn through the process that it only pays to be yourself? I'd love to hear your stories.

A friend once told me, "Crisis plus time equals humor." I'd have to agree today. I remember being so embarassed and disheartened when my attempts to be perfect failed. But they certainly make for funny stories today.

I’m amazed daily at how much God loves us despite ourselves. I’m sure He gets a good chuckle as we learn that He is all we need. Let’s remind ourselves today, His Son is the only perfect one.