In my mind, I saw perfect little gingerbread houses all lined up in a row, looking much too good to eat. I quickly realized this family project would yield anything but perfect gingerbread houses and there would be more eating than architecture completed that night.
And it was beautiful.
There we were gathered ’round the dining room table with piles of graham crackers, tubs of frosting, and oodles of brightly colored candies, creating delicious memories.
No, these gingerbread houses did not step off the pages of some nationally syndicated cooking magazine, but to my children, that night was perfect.
How often my heart longs for perfection. I want those perfectly staged magazine ads. I want perfect hair and the perfect apron and the perfect kitchen. How often I fail to recognize that what I want does not exist and even if it did, I would not want it.
No memories are made in studio photo shoots of staged holidays with airbrushed models. And if I spend my life longing for an ideal that only exists in magazines and on television, I will have missed the beauty of my real life.
We must teach our daughters that perfection is not something to be found in the things of this earth. We must never get so caught up in our expectations that we fail to see the beauty in our limitations.
As my family laughed and frolicked that night, I was struck by how even my best attempts at perfection always fall miserably short, but if my heart and mind are focused on Christ, it is His love that shines through my imperfections and creates a beauty that far exceeds my expectations.
So, this holiday season, I seek Christ’s perfection and not my own.
And it is beautiful.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much Amy for sharing this! I do often long for perfection in my home, marriage and looks, but I should not aim for perfection. Instead I need to focus on Christ in my home and marriage. Thanks again!
You are welcome, Aletta! I think it is a constant struggle for mothers as we fight our own expectations and let the Lord work through our limitations. Many blessings to you today!
Thanks! I really needed this reminder today as I am rushing around the house trying to get it picked up (and “just perfect”) before our two little ones arrive tonight. You see, we are in the process of adopting two little girls from an orphanage in Ukraine, and we will have the blessing of hosting them in our home for 4 weeks this Christmas! It is so easy (even when we think we know it) to lose sight of the fact that the only thing they need is the love of their family!
Thanks!
How wonderful for your family! Congratulations!
LOVE this! We’re moving from one pastorate to another this Christmas, and I’ve been down about how many of our special Christmas traditions just won’t be the same in our packing-in-progress home. But we are making memories, and even if it’s not my idea of perfect, it’s still special for my daughters. Thank you for the reminder!
I’m moving after Christmas, so I can sympathize!
This was so good. Thanks for the encouragement. I so often take over from my kids so that it’s “done right”. I appreciated your reminder to not be focused on the perfection, but on what Jesus is creating in your family.
It is so easy to want to take over and do it “right!” Enjoy the season, Charlotte!
Well, my friend, one thing we know to be true: TV is not real and well, magazines aren’t realistic.
That’s the lure. They want us to think they are real so we’ll chase after it. Problem is, it doesn’t really exist.
So yes, take heart, the only real perfection is the beauty of the *real*.
Great post!
I think perhaps everyone assumes that we are all mature enough to know the difference between what we see on TV and in magazines and what is real; however, I honestly think most people buy into the lie or else these things would not be as wildly popular and successful as they are. Identity in Christ…we must, must, must focus there!
I think there can be a lot of beauty in imperfection :”)
Thanks for your post today 
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 
Yes! Loved this. Thank you for this reminder here today. So often the big things and the little things look a lot different than I envision them. Thanks for this reminder to embrace the real life beauty unfolding here!
Thank you for this! I was told recently by a visiting family member that my house sure looked “lived in”. I had cleaned and straightened up for his visit and thought my house looked it’s best. I’ll admit, I was hurt, embarrassed and a little offended that he made such a remark. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that WE LIVE HERE! Of course it looks lived in! My little ones are here all day with me and while I’m more at peace in a house that’s organized, clean and picture-perfect it’s not reality and it would mean my family isn’t here with me. I’ll take “lived in” any day.
Amen!
Amy! I always love your posts! Making memories can be messy…but so worth it! Thanks again for a beautiful post!
I LOVE this! So cute!
Oh, I remember the messes all over the floor after we had cookie decorating when the kids were little–those were precious memories. Now, they outdo me in making cookies look beautiful!
Lovely post, Amy. Speaks right to my heart.
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