We often talk at Gateway Stories about how there is beauty in imperfection. A few weekends ago, Joey and I traveled to San Antonio to visit some very close friends of ours from college, Glenn and Melanie Dodson. Glenn was Joey’s best man in our wedding 30 years ago and Joey stood as Glenn’s best man when he married Melanie. They are very special to us both.
When I finished my cancer treatments in May of this year, Joey surprised me at a Gateway Event by giving me a guitar and writing the surprise into one of his song lyrics. Since the end of May I’ve been practicing a little each day and it has helped me in so many ways, mostly recreation and relaxation. This video clip is the two of us singing for Glenn and Melanie a little song Joey taught me, Walk Right Back by the Everly Brothers.
At first look it’s nothing special, but what I want you to notice is what’s unspoken in the video: The Imperfections. You see, I still can’t keep a good pitch, and I may never according to my doctors, because of the damage from radiation to my vocal cords. We are sitting at a kitchen table and there are Gateway photos all over the table. What makes this so special, is that Melanie has Multiple Sclerosis. She’s unable to walk and can only move one arm and hand. Melanie and Glenn were thrilled to have us, and she made sure her entire home was set up and ready for us that weekend. She is a talented scrapbooker, and she wanted me to bring Gateway photos so we could make a nice scrapbook together while the guys did some recording and watched football. Melanie’s hospitality is both heartwarming and inspiring. She watches over every detail, from the planning of the menu, along with all the ingredients needed, to the extra makeup remover wipes in the bathroom for guests. Her attention to detail, from her wheelchair, is a treasure.
If we waited for everything in our lives to be perfect, we would never move forward to God’s calling on our lives. The walls in our home are stained and the carpet is old and out of date, but we still invite guests over each month for a Gateway night because this is God’s plan for us.
Are there areas in your life, where perfectionism is keeping you from moving forward? Is there something God is beckoning you to partake in, but you are not ready because of your worry? Let me encourage you today. There’s beauty in imperfection.
