A Pyle of Perfect Imperfection

 I've been brewing up some ideas of organization again! Oh, no, right?  Well, at least that's what my inner voice is telling me.  Well, this time is going to be different.  Wait, I've said that before, but really, it is, not because of who I am, but because of who I am in Christ.  You may be confused with that concept, but hang on, explanation will follow.

In a world where so much can be conjured up to look like perfection and painted to be posted in order to receive the most likes, shares, comments, etc.  We have even more pressure to be perfect and we all know the ugly truth: It's not possible!   So we try.  We work on being the best at everything and the truth is we are fortunate to be the best at just one category in life. When we fail we fall hard on our faces, at least I know from past efforts that when I didn't attain perfection I would beat myself up internally.
Carrying experience as my map, I know that any attempt at something new will be a challenge. So my quest to organize my life a little more and my laundry room (aka the ultimate catch all room) has been on my heart for months.  That voice of projects past keeps haunting me with the, "You've tried this before and it ends up the same, so don't embarrass yourself again!"
Yet, this time I've started by being still...with prayer for wisdom from the God of all things organized.  This time I am taking small steps and not getting burned out.  This time I realize that if I fail (which in this human state is plausible), I'm not a horrible person, but I am a person.  I am just flesh and blood, not a god.God is perfect and is willing to help me.  The Bible clearly states that if we ask God for wisdom He will gladly gift it to us.  If we just humble ourselves and ask.

Humility, a foreign concept. NO PRIDE ALLOWED in that location.

So, my journey to a little more sanity continues.  I have taken a few steps to conquer the pile of papers needed to be filed, the "yard sale" wanna-be pile that will never be, the well, fill in the blank it's probably in that room.   It's safe to assume that my last name, Pyle, was an appropriate choice.
So after praying for organizational wisdom to tame this ADD mind, I find a verse: Proverbs 16:3 that states, "Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established". Some versions say your plans will succeed.

Wow, I can succeed!  Well, I AM not capable of success in an area I struggle with, but if we consecrate even our lowest task to God we will succeed. Not because of ourselves, but because he is working in us. He is perfecting us.   Even in our ADD brain he can bring focus, but leave us just enough "UN-focus" to keep us funny, creative, and humble.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.   We have to let go of that basic selfish need of perfection, which is really a heart full of pride, wanting to be worshiped and admit we need help.  Let go of pride in every form.  

For when we are humble enough to say, "I AM NOT PERFECT!" we can be free to: forgive because we've been forgiven of our sin filled imperfection, be patient because we know a loving God who is incessantly patient with us, laugh out loud at our silly slip ups and senior moments (which is always awkward when you aren't even 40), be honest with ourselves and others about our imperfections which frees others to be comfortable in their own skin and finally,  most importantly, we can love unconditionally when we let the love of a perfect Christ shine through us!  I'm overwhelmed, not by the task ahead, but by the amazing love of a personal God and Savior who would teach all this just because I took the time to ask and be still. I can do this! You can tackle whatever is ahead of you because He is God of the paper pile and every other piece of crazy in our lives.  Start by being still and knowing Him.

-Melissa Pyle