The Spirituality of Imperfection is a legacy attributed to St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Self-created perfectionism is a trap that makes us dissatisfied and disappointed by nearly everything, starting with ourselves. To resolve this problem, St. Thérèse teaches us to let go of the very need to “think well of yourself” to begin with; because that is our ego talking, not God.
Worthiness is not the issue, but trust and surrender are. God does not demand great actions from us but simply surrender and gratitude. None of us is worthy; we are all saved by grace. We are all loved in spite of ourselves. Our worthiness has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with the goodness of God.
It is in the process of embracing our imperfections that we find our truest gifts: courage, compassion, and connection. When we can let go of what we and other people think of us, we gain access to our true worthiness, that we are enough as we are. By spending time distancing ourselves from the parts of us that do not fit with who we think we’re supposed to be, we make up for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving.
A beautiful line from Leonard Cohen's song, Anthem, beautifully expresses this: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” The line helps us remember the beauty of our imperfections. That grace flows into our hearts and lives through surrender and gratitude, never because we become or do anything to earn it.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
