Slightly Irregular
June 16, 2025
Scripture Of The Day
Make allowances for each other's faults. (Colossians 3:13) NLT
By Cheryl Henderson
Most department stores have a section or a department with merchandise labeled, "as is" or "slightly irregular." A sweater with a stain that won't come out, a wobbly leg on a table, or a handle missing. Usually they will not tell you where the flaw is, you have to find that for yourself. Also when you purchase something like this there is a no refund, no return policy for these items.
It's kind of funny when you take a look around. You discover we are living in this department! Think about those you love and your friends. Aren't they "slightly irregular?" A flaw here, a streak of deception there, a hot temper, a passive/aggressive attitude? If you have been looking for perfection, you're walking down the wrong aisle! The only way to have a relationship with anybody is to love and accept them, "as is."
Don't buy into the myth that most folks are normal, (whatever that means) except the people in your life. Based on this misconception relationships become an endless quest to fix others, control them, or pretend they are what they're not. Thomas Merton says, "Love is letting those we love be perfectly themselves, and not twisting them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we see om them." One hallmark of maturity is acknowledging that nobody's perfect and loving them despite their shortcomings. But there is another lesson here. It means acknowledging something you probably don't like to admit. "And what's that? you ask. That you belong in the "slightly irregular" department too!