Not Perfect

NOT PERFECT

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

I was looking out on the woods that surround my house today as I walked through the melting snow. It seemed so strange to see how the trees looked in the middle of winter. Their black, gray, and brown trunks were twisted, wet, and gnarled. They were full of chipped bark and dead limbs. They seemed almost ugly and as far from perfect as you could get. Still, I knew that in just a few months they would be alive again with bright, green leaves and in a few months after that they would be full of beautiful colors that would delight the heart and uplift the soul.

Thinking about this made me smile and reminded me that you don’t have to be perfect in order to live a blessed life. God knows that I am far from perfect myself. I make mistakes every single day of my life. I am still a gnarled, empty, tree trunk much of the time. I do try, however, moment by moment and choice by choice to live a good life. I do try each day to choose and to share love and joy. I do try to grow in oneness with God more and more as I travel the path of life. I think, in fact, one of the best moments in my life was the moment that I decided to stop trying to be perfect and to just live in love and joy while sharing all the gifts that God gave me.

We all need to stop trying to be perfect. We all need to stop judging ourselves and just love ourselves. We all need to give up on living a perfect life and enjoy living a good and beautiful life. Anne Frank wrote, "Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is! Let us all live the good news within us then. Let us all grow some bright, green leaves of love in our lives. Let us all share the beautiful colors of peace and joy from our hearts and souls with everyone everywhere. We might not be perfect, but we can still bless the world with the best within us and with the gifts God gives us.

Love

 

"To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven."

1 Samuel 16:17

Exodus 20:12

Exocus 20:12

   “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Faith

Inspirational Poster

The more you doubt, the more you'll have to live without.

from Weekly Wisdom - Christ Notes

Complaining is one of the worst traps that many Christians fall into. A complainer thinks, "I can't stand my boss. If she would only treat me better, I'd be happy. I hate this traffic. Why can the government improve traffic flow with all the tax money I pay?" This is a deceptive trap because it leads one to believe that life would be better if something would be different. However, it is far more productive for to believe that God can change the situation than to doubt him.
This trap of complaining is the same trap that the Israelites fell into. They were not satisfied with what God had given them and they continually wanted more. Psalm 106:12-15 is a great example of what happens to people who are unthankful and always want more: Then they [Israel] believed his promises and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.
That passage refers the Israelites' persistent request for food, water, and other basic resources. They didn't trust God; they doubted his ability to provide and tested him. So, because of their doubt, God sent a wasting disease upon them. Furthermore, for forty years God withheld the promised land from them. Their doubt caused them to live without.

2 Timothy 1:13-14

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”

Joy

Bondi Beach

"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best
of everything they just make the most of everything that comes
along their way."

 

 

Kites over Bondi Beach, Sydney, last Sunday.  It was an amazing sight, but I only managed to get a couple of photo's as we were in the car driving past!

Your cross

QUOTE FOR TODAY

“We cannot face up to what lies ahead, without facing up to what lies within.” 




https://twitter.com/kerryessential

Verse for Today

Psalm 42:8
 The LORD will command His loving kindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.

Verse for Today


 

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. - Job 37:14

Thought for Today

““The key is this: Meet today’s problems with today’s strength. Don’t start tackling tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow’s strength yet. You simply have enough for today.””