Finding Beauty Through the Cracks

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

(2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

I recently attempted some repairs to the old stucco siding on our house. One patch in particular was a large area. While I did not expect to match the textured appearance around it, my plan was to at least get it smooth. But my final coat did not go as planned, finishing uneven and bumpy in all the wrong ways. While the paint hides much of it, I see the imperfections.

In the same way, we work to live out our Christian life, but, like in the picture, cracks form and appear in our lives. Not everything goes as we thought it would; living faithfully has not proved as easy or natural as we expected. Too often we focus in on the cracks / the temptations and sins, beating ourselves up for not getting it as perfect as we wanted, but God is not harsh or negative towards us. Instead, God comes to be with us, offering patience, peace, and forgiveness; He does not push us away but rather invites us into repentance and forgiveness.

If all we see are the cracks in our lives, we will not thrive with Jesus. But, if we see the bloom that results from His touch on our lives, then we will grow through the cracks into something of beauty and purpose. May we strive for His love and holiness in our lives while being patient and forgiving with ourselves as He is.