“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
My Dearest MacKynzie,
This is such an important message for every young woman to understand. I believe that there is a huge difference in striving for perfection and striving for excellence. Perfection is an illusion like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The faster you run towards it, the further it goes. Chasing perfection will only leave you broken hearted, tired and disappointed.
‘There is no circumstance that will satisfy you.’ - Peter Haas
This quote is so true. Every teenage girl stares in the mirror and dreams of the perfect life.. ‘if I only had ___ (straight hair, a smaller waist, that shirt, those parents, that house), my life would be perfect’. My little lady, I’ve got news for you. Straight hair will not make your life perfect. A beautiful house will not make your life perfect. Your attitude and appreciation towards the things you do have is what will create excellence in your life.
We are human and we are sinners. We are not made to be perfect. It is the way we deal with our sin that builds our character. It is not bad that we are imperfect. In fact, I believe that we should embrace our imperfections and use them to shape our character. It is in our sin and mistakes that we can learn. This is how we are built, how we are meant to grow. From a baby we learn by making mistakes. Even as a parent. I remember looking into your little newborn eyes at the hospital. The nurse looked down at me and said that dreaded sentence ‘it looks like you are ready to go home’. My heart stopped and fear filled my chest. The fear continued when I realized that you didn’t come with a manual, it was all up to me and your daddy. I look around and see moms that seem to have the perfect life. Their house always looks like a picture from a magazine while mine looks like a scene from Twister... after the tornado came through. They glisten with freshly washed hair and perfect makeup. I am lucky to get a shower twice a week, and tweezing my eyebrows before they take over my face is something to celebrate. God made us different. The important thing is that we continue to strive for excellence every day. That we continue to learn and grow from our imperfections. That we do not dwell in them and let them bring us down, but instead use them to lift us up.
My loving advice to you. You, my beautiful girl, will not be perfect. But you can be your own kind of excellent. You can live an excellent life by simply changing your attitude. Do not compare yourself to others or envy what they have. Embrace every imperfection and thank God every day that he created you unique and special. Learn from your mistakes and use your sinful nature to help grow and develop good character. Every sunset is beautiful because it was different from the last.
My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life! Live to inspire <3 to create!
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