I was shopping for a new desk. I had in my mind exactly what I wanted, size, color, and design. The perfect fit. I looked for weeks, never finding the exact one I wanted. They were too small, too wide, too big, too long, not the color I wanted, not enough drawers and too many drawers. I searched high and low to no avail. My perfect desk was not out there.
As I searched the Internet, looking for pictures of the perfect writing room with the right workspace in it, I liked the look of one cute desk with a white finish. It was a little rough around the edges, scuffed and dinged. It didn’t look like a piece of furniture on display in a showroom, but a desk that had been used and loved. One that looked as if it had traveled a million miles roughed up by each word written on it.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8.
Life has a way of delivering a few bumps and bruises. We make choices that aren’t always the decisions God desires for us to make. We can accept the lie that we are not good enough for God to love us.
Thank God He doesn’t turn us away because of a few dents and dings.
God loves us so much that even when we were sinners, He gave his life for our forgiveness. He doesn’t look over us because we are not perfect.
I began looking for a desk that fit my size specifications even if the color didn’t match or if the corners were worn. I found the perfect size table I wanted for my office in an online classified ad. It looked like a table I would have passed by without giving it a second look before. But now that I looked beyond the imperfections I saw something I previously didn’t .
Beauty.
Quickly I sent a message to the owner, got in the car, and picked up my soon to be desk. It had dings and dents, scrapes and gouges but I looked past those issues and began to dream about what it could be.
I sanded the top layer of stain taking careful consideration of the bumps and bruises that told the story of the history of the table. I painted the surface with a color that enhanced the lines and furrows. I sanded the top again leaving some of the underlying stain exposed. The protective coating to the top was applied to help with the everyday wear and tear, the words written with love.
God handles us with tender care.
He knows where our spirits are tender.
He knows where we are weak.
He loves us anyway.
God also disciplines us. When we need a stiff piece of sandpaper to clean out the crevices of junk that clogs our spirit or the sin that recurs, it hurts but that discipline helps us to become more like him.
God’s love is unconditional. He loves us no matter what. He shows us favor when we strive to glorify Him.
He looks past our imperfections and sees His beauty that lives within us.
He has a plan for us as a beautiful piece in His kingdom.
One that has been used and loved.
One that has traveled a million miles, shining His Glory.
We are beautifully imperfect.
We are His.
Do you see the beautiful spirit in you as God does?
Are you focusing on the bumps and bruises? The imperfections?
What can you do today to change the way you look at yourself to see your spirit as Jesus does?
