Letting the light in

Life is springing forth from my imperfections

 This past summer several of my siblings and I did a backpacking trip through Coyote Gulch. I spent many hours hiking through the canyon awed by the towering cliffs surrounding me.  The face of the red rock walls were mostly sheer and barren, save for the dark streaks left behind by water spilling over from the top of the steep canyon walls. At one point on the hike I looked up and was surprised to see a large bush growing straight out of the wall hundreds of feet above the canyon floor.  From a small crack or imperfection in that majestic rock, life was able to spring forth.

When I see my cracks and imperfections I am faced with a choice. I could choose to fear the vulnerability those imperfections make me feel and I can try to hide it.  I can shield myself with the ideals of perfectionism, divert attention by controlling or criticizing the imperfections of others, or maybe keep it secret and poison it with shame.

I am human and if I choose to instead look at my imperfections as opportunities, I nurture the life that can spring forth from those places. My cracks and imperfections open a space inside me, and when I allow myself to be authentic and vulnerable those imperfections are bathed in the light of grace.  That light shines through nourishing seeds of hope that can gain traction through roots of gratitude.  As I grow from the mistakes I make and the lessons I learn, I see my imperfections bearing the fruits of joy and connection with my Higher Power and others.