Today I’m sharing part 1 of a blog I recently read over at Well Watered Women. This particular blog is all about what happens when perfection paralyzes us from God-sized community. What happens when things don’t go just as planned, when things aren’t perfect? Read on as Kristin Link shares some insight on just that.
GIRLS’ NIGHT SURPRISE
Recently, I was hosting a sweet friend of mine for dinner. My husband was out of town, and I was looking forward to utilizing the time for a relaxing “girls’ night in.” I was planning to make tacos for our dinner together, and I had pre-planned the menu earlier in the week and purchased everything I needed to make my famous (one-hit wonder) tacos.
I had gotten home that evening after a busy day out, and had about an hour left to prep the meal and freshen myself up before she would arrive. I was grabbing all the veggies that I wanted to chop up for the toppings when I began to panic a little on the inside. I couldn’t find the tomato anywhere. I knew that I had bought one. I searched everywhere and eyed the clock in annoyance.
Maybe I can run-up to the store real quick, I bargained. No, I chided myself. I don’t have time. Instead, I will have to go tomato-less for these tacos. Ugh. How embarrassing. This is an essential topping and I really don’t want to serve a meal without a key ingredient.
I was frustrated. Because I didn’t have time to go get one, but I didn’t want to look foolish for not having my life—I mean, this meal—all together.
A HUMBLE REQUEST
The Holy Spirit nudged me to ask for help.
Um, no. I’m not going to text her.
This is embarrassing. I feel stupid.
I don’t want her to think less of me.
And I don’t want to look like I don’t have it all together.
Plus I don’t want to need her help.
But I sighed, died a little on the inside, and grabbed my phone. Swallowing my pride, I texted my friend. I felt ridiculous for asking. Then I felt ridiculous for feeling so embarrassed. And I felt ridiculous for making a big deal of this. I felt ridiculous for not having a tomato!
Much to my surprise, she replied back quickly saying she had plenty of tomatoes! How many should she bring over?
Wow. She has tomatoes to spare?
A PLEASANT SURPRISE
She came over soon after and joyfully gave me two perfectly juicy, summer-ripened tomatoes. I hugged her and thanked her, and she told me that she always buys too many tomatoes and that she needed to get rid of some anyway.
Oh, the irony. The Lord was plainly using this simple incident to show me a few things about myself:
- I fear failure.
- I don’t want anyone to see that I don’t have it all together.
- I’m afraid to look incompetent or unprepared.
- I’m afraid to be seen as less than perfect or reveal that I do not have it all together.
- I don’t want to need anyone else’s help.
- I don’t want to appear to be weak or incapable.
- I am self-reliant and I don’t want to count on anyone else for anything.
- I struggle to invite community into my life, to allow people to see behind the scenes where things are messy and hard and oftentimes ugly.
(Come back next Friday to read part 2)