There they sit in their beautiful Sunday dresses, bonnets on, and purses dangling, poised (more accurately, posed) for church. Their dazzling cobalt-blue eyes, exact facsimiles of their mother’s. They are, as one might say, picture perfect. But they aren’t perfect. Take my word for it. They grew up in my purview for over fifty something years. So I know. I love them dearly. They are daughters any parent would beg, borrow, or, well—maybe not steal for, but awfully close. You guessed it. My two daughters are dear to me..
No matter how much we may gussy up any human being, making one picture perfect—none of us is. We are flawed human beings. Unfortunately, preachers, poets, philosophers, and prognosticators go overboard pointing out our flaws. And too often, our human history validates what hymn-writer Charles Wesley called ...our bent to sinning.
Much of our culture puts powerful premium on perfection; fashion, television, wedding photographers, and well, parents, insist that optics focus on picture perfection. There is also overmuch discussion on what is dubbed designer babies expected to be the picture perfect result of their parents dreams.
And yet. And yet, much of the good and vital nexus of who we are, and what we came out of is the eternal chorus of humanity’s travail. Do I need to catalogue the magnificent musicians, artists, leaders, and laborers that populate our heritage? Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, only later to hold the key to a nation’s survival. Or the Apostle Paul, first an enemy of Christians, then endured intense suffering and obstacles, only to provide the impetus for growth of the faith.
In our own era, The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, suffered physically and ultimately assassination making great strides for the Civil Rights Movement. Then there is the late Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers—-opening the eyes of America to draconian shenanigans crafted by a few sinister insiders, entwining us into the wrongheaded slaughter of the Vietnam war.
No. None of us is picture perfect. As James Truslow Adams wrote, There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves any of us to find fault with the rest of us. I recently saw a sign writ in large letters; ; BE KIND.There is no possible accounting of how many tempestuous relationships could find smooth sailing rather quickly—with a generous portion of kindness. Maybe not picture perfect relationships, but certainly more joy-filled—even more enduring ones.
©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2023
I was scared for a moment. I was not sure where you were going