Perfect Imperfections

My friend, Scasmflop, came to me a little while back and asked me to employ my creative jewelry making abilities to help her with a gift for some new friends she was going to meet for the first time.  You see, they were a group of mothers who had something in common, a difficulty not many women (or men) are called upon to deal with.  They're all parents to a child with Spina Bifida and they've been supporting one another on-line for ..... well  .... quite a while now.  They were meeting for the first time since their separate yet similar journeys began and Scasmflop wanted to make it as special and meaningful as possible.

And that's where I came in.  She told me she wanted a necklace that would represent Spina Bifida, with a Remembrance Ribbon as a dangle attached.  As if God leaned over and whispered in my ear, the name for the necklaces came to mind... Perfect Imperfections.

These women are raising children gifted to them by God, yet they are children a number of people in the world would see as useless or not worth the effort it will take to give them a good life.  During Hitler's reign, these children would have been killed at birth and their mothers told they were stillborn or had died of complications.  They were imperfect humans.  But, that's not how God sees them and He has given these gifts to parents who see what God does. 

The necklaces were long chains with yellow agates to represent the Remembrance Ribbon for Spina Bifida, except for the main bead.  It was red with a discolored stripe through it....  the "Imperfection", if you will.  The ribbon dangles from the end of a bent wire that goes across the face of the stone, representative of the difficulties of their journey through life.  I'm told the ladies loved them, but judge for yourselves!





I did one other thing, I wrote a couple things to go with these necklaces. One, Scasmflop knows about, the other she doesn't.  They're both called "Perfect Imperfections".  Here's the one she knows:

PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS

Man says "They're broken, throw them away."
God says "I can use them, give them to me."
Man says "What can they do? They're useless."
God says "What can't they do? I will use them!"
Man says "Don't bother, they're imperfect!"
God says "for my strength is made perfect in [their imperfections]."
   "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my [imperfections], that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
II Corinthians 12:9

.....  and this is the one Scasmflop doesn't know about, but I hope she'll still like:

Perfect Imperfections

God gave me a gift from His mercy and grace,
A new life to add to this great human race.

But to this great gift He added a string
And when I was told I tho't "What can it mean?

"Why did God ask you this burden to bear?
And why did He think I could handle your care?"

So heavy my heart, so frightened my mind,
The way out of fear I just couldn't find.

For Satan would whisper "Your failure is set.
"The needs of your child will never be met."

I cried out to God for His great healing touch.
"Let my child be whole, I'm not asking too much."

I felt my God's love as He cradled my heart
And He told me my child, in His plan, had a part.

His plan for my child means he comes with a flaw
But others to God, with his life, he will draw.

It's not sin in my life or God's lack of love
That caused imperfection in my gift from above.

God's strength is made great in our weakness of life.
Imperfections made perfect when backed by His might.

He can use for His glory the imperfect and flawed.
All it takes is surrender to the mercy of God.


We are all imperfect sinners in God's sight. Only by His mercy, and acceptance of the Gift of His Son, are we made Perfect, indeed.