"“Humor is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them.” L.M. Montgomery
Fans of the "Anne" books or movies know that Montgomery's stubborn, red-headed protagonist often found herself in precarious situations. Whether popping off at Rachel Lind or taking a dare to walk a ridgepole, Anne Shirley had something to prove. And I could relate.
I haven't always been able to laugh at my mistakes. A slave to perfection, I would cower in fear over a misspoken word or a misstep. Failure was unacceptable. Period.
But then. God led me into a personal desert to commune with Him. Alone. Through heartache He revealed that life is not based on performance, but rather obedience.
As a first born, the bar was always set high. And I never reached it. In the darkest night of the soul, my Father gently corrected my thinking. He had set no bar for me. That idea was of human construct. Instead, freeing me from the pursuit of perfection was the winding path to finding acceptance in my identity as His daughter.
I distinctly remember the first time I actually owned a mistake that I made in the workplace. Going against my desire for self-protection, I jokingly told my co-workers, "Well, I blew that."
Instant freedom flooded my soul. Joy bubbled out as laughter as I considered the pure folly that the idea of being perfect had held me captive for so long. Since the first open admittance of my imperfection, I've had countless moments of acknowledging my flub ups and faux pas. And oh, does it feel good! It took me coming to the end of myself to learn that failure is not failure anytime a lesson is learned.
Proverbs 17:22 reads, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Lord, thank you for the gift of laughter. Fill the hearts of Your daughters with joy that bubbles out even in the face of what appears to be failure. May obedience be the goal, not the folly of chasing perfection. Amen.
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