Last night I went for a run with my new favorite band “Thousand Foot Krutch” pounding through my ear buds. It was a time of reflection, restoration and even got a bit emotional at one point. In the 50 minutes I was gone, there was one lyric that grabbed me and stuck in my mind. It came from the song “Look Away” and went like this:
Don’t wanna be perfect, just alright….
Now that might not sound like much, to me, at that moment, it hit me. So often I think I spend each moment trying to be perfect. Particularly in faith. The reality is it creates a self defeating cycle. Strive to be perfect – fall short – get defeated – lose motivation – start the cycle all over again. The reality is that (this side of Heaven), I’ll never achieve perfection. Especially as it pertains to faith. I’m tired of trying. I don’t wanna be perfect anymore…I just wanna be alright.
When I returned home, the internet was full of reports of the absolute mess that happened in Detroit last night. In case you missed it, Detroit Pitcher Armando Galarraga was one out away from a Perfect Game. An umpire totally blew the final out costing Galarraga his spot in history. Huge mistake. Huge error. While everyone was understandably upset, I read that after the dust cleared, Galarraga reportedly said…wait for it…
Nobody’s perfect
This man just lost a chance to go down in history with only 20 other people to achieve the unachievable. The PERFECT game. He did his part. An umpire cost him that spot. His response was class and grace to simply say “nobody’s perfect”. I hope I can extend that grace in the small things to others (kids, wife, friends) when I anticipate perfection. I hope I can offer myself that grace when I aim for perfection.
I don’t wanna be perfect….just alright.
