I’m not perfect, but I am strong.
-- “Robin” from the movie, “The Best Man”

No matter how hard we try, how long we live, or how much we pray, none of us will ever hit the mark of perfection. We just weren’t created that way.

On any given day – mind you, one of God’s perfect days – you may leave the house sparkling clean, smelling fresh, and looking good. Your skin is clear, your body is toned, and nothing jiggles when you walk – at least nothing that isn’t supposed to. But somewhere there’s a flaw, a defect that keeps you out of the faultless circle. Maybe it’s that though you are radiantly clean and good-looking, you don’t have a damn dime in the bank because you erroneously manage your money in your head instead of on a balance sheet, knowing full well that your calculations are piss-poor because you have a documented learning disability in math computation. Or maybe, though so fresh and so clean, when you open your mouth, nothing of substance, common sense, or lucidity is heard from your lips because you’ve not taken time to invest in expanding your mind or reaching beyond the box you sit in. You simply stay put out of fear that learning something new will cause you to have to work harder and hard work is too much for you to manage given you have that learning disability in getting ahead. So thank God we weren’t created to be perfect, huh?

But God created us in His perfect image, and while we can never be perfect, we can try to get as close to just right as possible. And through our enduring strength, courage, tenacity, and integrity – minus the habitual excuses – each day, we’ll get closer and closer to that mark. That is the expectation.

At least some of us have strength and sense enough to know that we’re not perfect; you know you’re assets ain’t right. Some of us even have strength and sense enough to know what would make us perfect; you know you can’t talk worth a quarter, so you keep a thesaurus in your back pocket at all times and pull it out even if it makes you look slow. And, when it comes down to it, it’s the strength of strength and sense that makes reaching for perfection all the more worthwhile. You get better while you’re trying.

That’s why people go back to school or take up a new hobby – it keeps the brain stimulated. You may not learn everything about a subject or become the best crocheter, golfer, or potter, but your brain is expanding, the circuits and connections in your head are rearranging and, in some cases, repairing their pathways with each new thing you try and each old thing you do away with. This brain expansion – or rewiring, if you will – is what pushes us toward perfection. Think about everything you’ve learned and experienced during the stretching toward the mark. You’re getting better! Stronger!

So, possibly the reward is in realizing and exercising your strength. If that’s the case, then, who wants to be perfect anyway? Thank God we weren’t created perfect. We’d miss the journey to stronger.

Sadiqqa © 2008