Who among us has no major flaws?
Who is not dysfunctional in some way?
Who has no immaturity of character?
Who is wholly honest and
Rational and
Responsible in every matter?
Who among us is not laden with either
Inordinate fears or
Insecurities or
Anxieties or
Crippling procrastinations
In at least one
Important area of life?
The differences between us
Don’t seem to be so much
That some of us have
Such problems
And others don’t,
But that some of us
Are really striving to overcome them
Where the others aren’t.
But no one,
Even among the strivers,
Seems to be able to get to them
All at once.
Yet the prevailing presumption
In our society—
The unquestioned presumption
By which so many of us
Torture ourselves—
Is that we can.
It does not commonly occur to us
That more has been packed
Into this life
Than can be perfectly managed.
And moreover, hardly anyone will contemplate
The possibility that God himself
Has designed it this way
To teach us about ourselves—
Giving us a chance
To demonstrate to ourselves—
And to him, too—
Just what kind of people
We want to be.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
So, when you find an imperfect person
Who is not heartsick with desire to overcome it,
You’ve found a person who doesn’t
Hope to be what God wants him to be.
Keep at it.
Be honest and open about it.
And watch your friends learn
How to be honest and open
About it, too.
