Do you ever feel as if God is speaking to you through people around you? I sure have felt that lately with a wee little 7 year old in my life! It has taken me awhile to hear, 2 or 3 different situations later I am finally getting it. (Thank you Lord for never giving up on me!) WOW, I am a hard nut to crack!!!
The words I am hearing through my sweet little girl are, “You don’t have to be perfect.” That’s it. Apparently I am giving this message through my actions. There is nothing more attention grabbing, than when it comes from a child. They speak from the heart, honestly, openly.
I admit it, I am a perfectionist. Things need to be just so, I don’t like to make mistakes, I prefer things my way because I think it is best. I recognize this in myself, and have to continually let go of these thoughts and realize I AM NOT, NOR EVER WILL BE PERFECT.
What I really am is broken, a cracked vessel, with many flaws and IMperfections. And, in truth, one of my cracks is perfectionism itself. It is a flaw, which is kind of crazy to think about, because it is completely the opposite. My striving to be good at everything I do, attempting to have it all together, is in reality, causing me to fall short.
Thankfully, God is still working with me on this issue and many other things. He does not leave us where we are, in fact He uses our flaws! My shortcomings, my weaknesses, all point to His strength. As He lives in me, and as I grow and mature in His word, continually seeking Him; He can shine through the cracks and holes in my character. Thank you Lord for your continued work in my life…thank you for your patience with me and unconditional love for broken me!
So, what do you hear God speaking to you today? Is He trying to tell you something through a friend, His word, a song? Is it all the same message? What I am slowly learning is that when He repeats Himself, He has something important to teach me. And it is because I haven’t stopped to listen, that I haven’t heard. But wow, when He gets my attention in His persistent, gentle way, and lifts my chin to look into His face, oh the beauty! The love, the care and concern, it is overwhelming. All of a sudden, I don’t have to be perfect, I just am…His created child in whom He will never give up on!
Isaiah 30:18 reads,
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!
This summer the kids and I learned Isaiah 30:21 which seems to tie in here as well. It reads,
Whether you turn from the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”
As believers, we will know when we hear His voice, lets choose to walk in His ways together. Lets not listen to the world which keeps us grasping for things other than God; those things that have no bearing on eternity.
