Are you a perfectionist? Sarah Rock-Evans, Ordinand (that's sort of a fancy word for trainee vicar!), shares in our latest blog post how God doesn’t call us to be perfect, but invites us to be real with Him.
No one likes to feel weak; in a culture that favours the strong in clear and subtle ways, it can be hard to know how to live with our flaws. But the Bible tells us that God has a different perspective on this. 2 Corinthians 12 verse 9 says “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.”
In preparation for starting theological training last September, I was fortunate to be able to buy a new laptop computer. The new computer arrived, shiny and lovely, and I took it with me for my first day with St Mellitus College in Plymouth. All was fine until it slipped out of its carry case as I went to open it in the afternoon and crashed to the floor. On my first day!!! I quickly saw that one corner of the screen was badly cracked, and whilst I knew it was only a computer I was sad and frustrated to see it damaged.
I spent the next day trying to find out how to replace the screen; quickly discovering that would be an expensive exercise and I would have to send it away. I started to wonder whether I really needed to repair it; yes the damage was staring at me every time I opened the computer, but perhaps I could learn to live with that. In the end, I bought a screen protector for £20, stuck it over the damage and decided to carry on (yes I know I should have done that sooner!). As I reflect on what happened, I realised that I often like to hide my faults and weaknesses, to present an image of 'being sorted,' but actually God calls us to acknowledge our failings and take them to Him, that we might depend on His grace all the more, not our own.
People often wince when they see my laptop now; “Oh dear, what happened?” they ask, and my little story tumbles out. But I often add that I have learnt to see it as a reminder that I am imperfect and that God doesn’t expect anything else, but instead invites us to be real with Him, warts, cracked laptop screens, and all. He invites us to know Him as our ultimate source of life, energy and hope, to lean on Him in our fears and failings, as well as to rejoice with Him in the gift of life. My prayer this week is that you may come to our Risen Saviour with all that you are, knowing He can work through your weaknesses and offers you rest in His grace and love, just as you are.
With blessings,
Sarah Rock-Evans, Ordinand