As summer was coming to an end, I realized that it was time for a short trip away before Charlene and the girls headed back to school. I kept postponing the planning but finally began searching for a close vacation spot that didn’t break the bank. After a few back and forth emails with some VRBO options, we decided to spend a few days in nearby Breckenridge. It met the close proximity qualification, but the break the bank piece … well, we’ll talk about that later.

As I began to watch the weather report the days leading up to the trip, I realized that the forecast wasn’t looking to be the best. After several weeks of sun and 80 degree temps, the week of our trip ended up being upper 60s, clouds, and rain. On one of those rainy afternoons, we were looking for something to do to fill the time while getting out of our rented condo. We came upon a little local art shop where you can paint canvas or pottery. We got all of the details, grabbed a few art projects, and spent a few hours together chatting and painting with the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the roof. After two more days of continued rain, we returned to do our second project. It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy vacation day as a family, and we all went home a few days later with two art projects each to show for it.

Coming home included the traditional unpacking of all the stuff, and the coffee mug I’d created landed on my dresser in the bedroom. I had intended to take it to the office after I got back, however, after several days it hadn’t quite yet made the trip. One day I looked at it and thought … I’ll probably just end up throwing it away anyway. How many coffee mugs does a person need, and I have too many as it is. You see, the cup wasn’t quite what I had expected. It had a couple of flaws in it that I hadn’t planned for. There was a smudge of red paint where it should have been yellow. Then there was the bottom edges. There were a couple of white spots where the paint was removed likely in the process of moving it from one place to another. It wasn’t perfect; it wasn’t the way I had hoped it would turn out. So, sooner or later, it would probably end up in the trash.

As quickly as I had that thought another one entered my mind. “Since it’s not perfect, you just throw it away?” I knew where it was coming from. In His kind, gentle way, God was telling me something. As my thoughts rapidly fired inside my brain, I knew what He was getting at. The thoughts that followed were even more profound that than the previous. *“Do you do that with people?” If they’re not perfect, do you just throw them away?“* Of course, my answer was ”NO!” However, it was a not-so-gentle reminder.

We are all flawed. We’re not perfect. While we have expectations of ourselves or others, it’s not founded in reality. We are imperfect … even broken people. We are all flawed. While we may like to think that there aren’t any smudges or incomplete areas, there are. Lots of them.

The mug that moments before was destined for the garbage immediately became my new favorite mug. I grabbed it that morning and took it to work as a reminder. Everytime I drink from it and see the imperfections I will be reminded that it’s just like me. It’s just like those that I work with and live with. We are all imperfect… and in that perfection, there is beauty.