Embracing Imperfection

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

Hebrews 13:1-2

I have a confession: my bathrooms are covered in wallpaper circa 1989. You know the kind—dusty-blue wagon wheels with the mauve highlights? Yep. I just need a few beribboned geese hanging on the wall to make the look complete. I’ve removed the wallpaper from my kitchen walls, but the cabinets, knobs, and countertops all suggest that my kitchen is in that odd historical spot—dated, but not quite dated enough to be considered endearingly vintage or even retro.

Sigh. And while other parts of my house have been updated, my decor will never be worthy of Pinterest.

Despite my uglyish kitchen and the “vintage” wallpaper, my husband and I regularly throw open our doors and invite people into our house, into our imperfect lives. Being real, being authentic, and inviting people to journey alongside us without any pretense of perfection is, honestly, so much easier than trying to be something we are not. I’ve discovered that when I’m willing to let my real self be the person others meet, they almost always respond in kind. And wouldn’t you know that the real person is the most interesting and most delightful part of anyone I’ve ever met?

I would rather snort-laugh and ugly-cry with a new friend over hopes dashed, dreams dreamed, and everything in between, all while holding coffee mugs as we’re curled up in the armchairs of my living room, than sip champagne, smile politely, and mingle in cocktail dresses over small talk with a room full of Important People.

Life is too short not to be authentic. Please don’t let all the imperfect things in your life convince you to put off inviting others into your home and your life for another moment. As Christians, we are called to hospitality and to sharing our lives—including with strangers. Don’t wait until your house, your family, and your life are perfect, because then you’ll never do it.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Invite someone over this week for dinner, coffee, or an ice-cream cone, and resist the urge to clean up before this person arrives.

From the book