When people speculate about Jesus' childhood, He's always made out to be perfect. People think He was always polite, always a hard worker, the perfect student and the perfect carpenter. But I believe Jesus was actually pretty average. I'm sure He did all of His schoolwork, but He probably daydreamed in class on more than one occasion. When learning how to be a carpenter He probably hit His hand with a hammer a few times, or mismeasured and made a lopsided table. Even in His sinlessness, He probably did things to frustrate His parents. In fact, we hear of one instance when they lost Him in the temple. I believe all this sinlessness is not the same thing as perfection. If Jesus was perfect, it wouldn't have been as much of a surprise when He began teaching. If Jesus was perfect, He would never have been able to experience all that I have, because many of my sufferings are a result of some inability I have.

Far too often we try to link perfection and sin. And while sin blemishes us, this is only a spiritual imperfection. My emotional imbalance is a form of imperfection, but does that make me a sinner? Regardless of how often I play my guitar I don't get much better. Does that make me a sinner?

Sin separates us from God. Our tendency to equate perfection and sinlessness soon takes us to a place where we believe that God loves us less because of what we can't do. If we're not a great scholar, great artist, great athlete, then God doesn't care for us as much as those who are. When we have to quit a workout before it is over, God is disappointed in us. When we get rejection letters from schools, or don't get hired after a job interview, or face rejection from a friend or significant other, we feel that God is rejecting us.

Where does this concept come from? And how can we counter it? I am thankful that this is no longer a mindset I hold, although at times it is difficult not to slip back into that way of thinking. Is the secret to accepting our imperfection recognizing our worth? Value outside of society- just an assessment of our potential and realization of how great we have been created by God. Or perhaps we just need to open ourselves up more to experience God's love. The people we love the most are the ones we also have an easier time overlooking their flaws. In fact, in some instances we don't even recognize the flaws are even there. As we let God love us more and more, we will realize that when God looks at us, all He sees is something beautiful. And as with a love relationship between two people, the more time we spend with God the more we begin to see ourselves the way He sees us. Then even the things we can't do become reasons for us to rejoice in ourselves.