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Embrace your Imperfections

Birthdays always inspire me to do something: reflect on where I am, who I am, and who I'm becoming.

What I've discovered as I've gotten older is that I'm becoming much more comfortable with my imperfections.

We live in a world that constantly tells us to be "perfect." It's everywhere. Social media, advertisements, television, and even our phones are quietly telling us who we should be.

The funny thing is, I've lived long enough to know that perfection doesn't exist. More importantly, I've learned that the world wants us to constantly question who we are and whether we're enough.

Heck, even our phones automatically remove our flaws and make us look far more spectacular than we really do.


Face Beauty Auto

Real Life Me

So today, I'm turning off the filter and sharing a few of my imperfections.

1. I have absolutely no musical talent.

Whatsoever.

When I sing along to the radio, which I do often and thoroughly enjoy, I'm usually out of tune, halfway wrong on the lyrics, and completely convinced I'm putting on an arena-worthy performance.

And although I look like I might be the world's greatest headbanger, I can assure you, I am not.

2. I worry entirely too much.

I worry about my family. I worry about my career. I worry about my electric bill.

Sometimes I worry when there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

There are nights when I don't sleep because I'm worrying, and then I start worrying about my health because I'm not sleeping.

My faith tells me not to worry, but sometimes I even worry that I'm not living out my faith the way I should.

It's exhausting.

3. I care more about what people think than I'd like to admit.

I know I shouldn't.

I know my worth shouldn't be tied to someone else's opinion.

But if I'm being honest, I still want people to like me.

I think most of us do.

We want to be accepted. We want to be included. We want to be one of the "cool" people.

I've spent plenty of time wanting cool hair, wanting to make cool things, and wanting to seem cooler than I really am.

The truth is, I'm probably not cool 99.9% of the time, and that's okay.

4. My body is far from perfect.

I have gray hair.

I have crooked teeth.

I have scars, acne, wrinkles, and stretch marks.

I'm about fifteen pounds heavier than my ideal weight, and my cholesterol is starting to creep into territory I'd rather not discuss.

My hair is permanently frizzy. I don't get enough sleep, so I occasionally resemble a raccoon.

I'll never be a model, and the truth is, I'm short and a little stocky.

And that's okay, too.

5. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I am constantly setting new goals and chasing new ideas because, deep down, I'm still trying to figure out my purpose.

What am I good at?

What makes the world a little better?

What am I supposed to be doing with this one beautiful life I've been given?

I often feel pulled between two worlds. Part of me wants to challenge the status quo and live differently. The other part wants to achieve the traditional "American Dream."

Meanwhile, I'm doing everything in my power to keep up with the Joneses and grow my 401(k) so that one day I can confidently say, "I made it."

And honestly, that's just the beginning of the list.

There are so many more imperfections I could share.

The older I get, the more I believe we need a little less "Face Beauty Auto" in our lives.

The world is constantly telling us who we should be, what we should look like, and what perfection is supposed to look like.

But perfection was never the goal.

Authenticity is.

Raising a daughter has taught me that it's okay to show your true self. In fact, it's important. Our children learn far more from what we do than from what we say.

I want my daughter, and every young person watching, to know that they don't have to hide their imperfections. We all have them. They are part of what makes us unique.

God created each of us with our own strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and struggles. He loves us not because we're perfect, but because we're His.

Maybe that's something we all need to remember a little more often.

Instead of hating ourselves for what we're not, we can learn to love ourselves for what we are.

And that starts by turning off the filter.

#embraceyourimperfections





























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