Delightfully Flawed

One thing that has always struck me about members of the LDS church is what great examples and role models they are. Some of the people I most looked up to and was intimidated by in high school, including one I always wanted to date but I was definitely not good enough for him then, are members. I think that the image of members being better people is a common view among non-members, though sometimes it is seen as a note of arrogance held by the member. Adhering to a set of values that is relatively public is a difficult thing to do. When someone who doesn’t follow the same path sees a slip, they may relish in this small way to knock someone off of a pedestal, no matter who put them there.

In getting to know more members during the past month, I’ve really enjoyed having the intimidation scaled back a little. I still believe that as a whole, church members are some of the most amazing people to walk this earth. I mean, with great examples like Nicole and Bre (old post, but I really love the picture of Bre) how could anyone not be impressed? One thing that I’ve noticed though, is how delightfully imperfect a lot of members are as well.

From wonderfully cluttered homes to often being late or going over on time, it’s so amazing to see the exceptions within their perfection.

I don’t mean that to be negative in any way, I see it as far more than a positive actually. These qualities take away the intimidation, but still leave the awe. Being amazed, but no longer intimidated makes me feel like I could actually do this as well. Before I’d thought that even if I were a member for years and no longer felt like an outsider, I would never be able to shake the feeling of inequity. (I tend to feel it in most aspects of my life, at least I have before.) I’m only 4 weeks into investigating the church now though, and I already feel as though I’m being included and part of the ward. The delightful flaws that I’ve seen in some members when allowed a closer look into their lives allows me to realize that maybe the flaws I know that I have aren’t sitting there on the surface for everyone else to see.

That’s an amazingly comforting thought in that I might be able to mend the broken aspects of myself behind the scenes, without feeling vulnerable and exposed. Remembering this has allowed me to remember to have faith not only in Our Heavenly Father, but in myself as well. Definitely something that is a huge asset going into finals.