Perfection

 


I was teaching in a first grade class today.  We had just read about different animal groups and how they stick together for protection.  

My group was writing sentences that I dictated.  I was patiently having them listen to the sounds of the words and think of their vowel knowledge for spelling.  I was impatiently demanding they capitalize and punctuate. Every time!!  

One little friend who I will call Miss Sassypants had already critiqued my outfit, told me I was wasting too much time and was just rubbing on my frayed nerves.  

Another was painstakingly crafting each letter so slowly that I wasn't sure we would be done by the end of the school day.  But it looked fantastic and I commended her.  

"Yes!  You wrote it exactly right with each of the sounds.  People will be able to read that! That's perfect!"  

Miss Sassypants didn't skip a beat.  From her same slouched position where she was attempting to hide her drawings of rainbows instead of her sentence, she threw out, "Nothing's perfect, Mrs. Potter.  Except for Jesus."

I chuckled and told her she was right.  Another student asked if Jesus was real.  A third piped in not as real as Santa.  They briefly debated and then fortunately a yard maintenance man drove by the window and all thoughts of theological debate were gone.  As well as any chance of continued sentence work before lunch.  

But it made me think.  "Nothing's perfect, except for Jesus" can be a valuable reminder.  We have a Savior BECAUSE we aren't perfect.  Not IN CASE we aren't perfect.  


President Russell M Nelson reassured, " When comparing one’s personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord’s expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing. My heart goes out to conscientious Saints who, because of their shortcomings, allow feelings of depression to rob them of happiness in life.  We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy—not guilt trips!"


The next time I get down on myself I think I will remember "Nothing's perfect, except for Jesus!"

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