Embracing Imperfection

A story by a girl.

"When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school was. I don't remember what I told him that night, but i do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: 'Baby, I love burned toast.'

Later that night, I went to kiss daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Debbie, your mum put in a hard day at work today and she's really tired. And besides, a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!' You know, life is full of imperfect things, and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook.

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's difference - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today: That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker! We could extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!!!"

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket but into your own."