If you come by our house next spring, you will see long and slightly crooked rows of alternating tulips and daffodils.
Because I am still having issues with the shoulder injury, I needed help digging the trenches for the flowers. Caleb, my ten year old son, eagerly volunteered. He worked tirelessly to give me a hand and was so proud of his work. One trench is twenty feet long. All in all, he's probably dug 50 feet of trenches. He goofed on one trench though. Not only did he put it about 6" away from where I needed it, he had a definite and drunken curve at the end from where he grew tired.
I could have asked Caleb or someone else to fix those trenches. I thought about it. I like things to be done correctly, but I decided I'd rather have them crooked so I remember how hard he worked, even when he was tired, just to help me. I will remember taping up the eight blisters he didn't tell me about until the work was finished. I'll think about how he wanted to be with me doing hard work rather than playing with his siblings. Yeah, when I see those crooked flowers I'll smile and think about how very much I love that little boy.
There is beauty in the imperfection.
I wonder if God ever sees our efforts to please Him in the same light. Not perfect lives, but made more beautiful because we tried.
