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As I looked out my full glass back door, I had a beautiful view of our snow covered back yard. The snow was still coming down, adding more layers of white beauty. This morning, our yard was transformed into a picture of sparkling perfection. I absolutely love the look of an undisturbed blanket of snow, so I took time to take in the splendor of the wintery scene before me.
My breakfast was interrupted several times by two excited boys urging me to hurry up so they could go play in the snow! The few minutes it took me to eat, was an eternity to a 7 and 3 year old who couldn’t wait to have a new adventure outside. I finished up eating, and got them all bundled up in their coats, mittens, and hats. I sent them outside as I took some fun pictures and recorded them entering into their winter wonderland.
A short time later, I looked over our back yard. The peaceful, flawless snow covering was now trampled through. At first, I thought how sad it was that my children had to mess up such a beautiful scene without any regard for how lovely it was. But then, I reconsidered my thoughts.
Each footprint represented a joyful experience my boys had with each other. Each trail they left behind represented laughs and explorations. Each new place the snow was “messed up” held a memory of a child calling to his brother to “come look at this!”
The snow’s perfection was beautiful but it was missing something. It was missing the experiences of loved ones journeying through it together. Sometimes our idea of a perfect life is one where nothing gets messed up. Everything is picture perfect, sparkling in the stillness. But that’s not a perfect life. That’s a picture. A picture that’s void of life.
My life is not an image of perfection. People trample through my ideas of what I wished my life could look like. They leave messes. They hurt my feelings. They let me down. But you know what? That’s okay, because they also bring laughter into my life. They also bring hugs. And they also help me become a better person.
We were not meant to simply have a picture perfect life. That’s not even realistic. We are challenged to take the mess ups of what we thought a perfect life looked like, and create a beautiful life where we appreciate each footprint for the good things it brings with it.
I can’t focus on what I thought a perfect life looked like before I became an adult. The people God has brought into my life have not messed up my dream life, they have enhanced it and made me grow into the person I am today. I appreciate the refining God has caused in me through them.
Father God, please help me not buy into the lie that a picture perfect life is somewhere other than where I am right now. My perfect life is exactly where You have placed me, and I appreciate the people You have put me in the middle of. They are not messing up my perfect life. I’m sorry when I have resented or begrudged them. I have as good of a life as I am willing to grow up and appreciate! Thank You for all the footprints You have allowed to trample though my perfect blankets of snow.