The Gift of Imperfection

In his remarkable message yesterday, Barak Bomani started off telling about Navajo rug weavers leaving deliberate imperfections in their weavings - small reminders pointing toward God’s perfection (more here). Barak pointed us not so much to the wrongness of the imperfection but the the vastness of God’s sufficient grace. He pointed out that so often it is the pressures of the world to conform that is the messenger of Satan rather than whatever we perceive as an imperfection in ourselves.

How might that change how we read this popular text?

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Is there a ‘weakness’ you experience that you have previously condemned or shamed yourself for, but which perhaps God has called you to boast about instead? Is there some place in your identity, your history, or your family that you have been embarrassed about that God might instead tell you that is precious and beloved?

Take some time and allow the Spirit of God to speak to you today to potentially reinterpret aspects of your personhood and your story.