A Perfect 10 Isn't About Being a Size 2

Getting ready for the day this morning. I looked in the mirror and saw a very imperfect body. But when I looked closer, I saw something beyond the physical appearance. I saw a con"ten"ted soul.

Okay, I won't lie, I wouldn't mind shedding some pounds. But, all in all, I have a very blessed life. My pants aren't size 2 and my life may not seem ideal to others, but God has given me con"ten"tment.

When you look at what I have: a deep personal relationship with my Savior, a faithful godly husband, two very lively loving boys, a warmly pleasant home and a beat up but still running Honda, I think you can see that I am blessed as my list is obviously only the beginning.

This thought brought me back to a time six or so years ago (before Ephraim was born) when a dear friend became very frustrated and actually angry with me. She told me in a nut shell that I had it "too good" that people couldn't relate to me because my life seemed "too perfect". What did I know about "real life"? I had a "perfect" husband and healthy bouncing baby boy (Carson) and a "cushy" job as Director of Youth Ministries at my church.

What my dear friend didn't take into account was that at that point in my life, I had lost my father and had other painful losses. In fact, I was a person who was always struggling and the one who wasn't the perfect size 2. But all that changed when I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior.

The losses I had faced were still profound, but I could rise above them. Others saw me as someone who "had it all" because of what Christ did for me. My friend and I worked out the tension between us and she came to understand who I really was. A sinner clothed in Christ.


A few years later, I had my "Job" moment. It was as if the devil said to the LORD, "Sara seems to have it all, but what if you threw her nice neat little world into a spin?". Like Job, I had a very outwardly wonderful life, then came Ephraim. After a near perfect pregnancy, Ephraim was born with two serious heart defects. My "perfect" world came crumbling down, but my faith did not.

Troy and I faced the most challenging days of our lives in Ephraim's early years. But, we did not curse God, or turn from our faith. In fact we learned to be con"ten"t in our circumstances. Our faith was tested, but it did not fail. It did not fail because we had Christ as our Rock.

I am not a size 2, and in the world's eyes I am certainly not a Perfect 10. But I do have the same confidence as the Apostle Paul who wrote in Philippians 4:11b-13: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength".

I am con"ten"t with what God has given me. A perfect 10 for sure.

Let Me Tell You About My Library

I can't say enough great things about my public library. Our library isn't just for books anymore... I've blogged before about how my mother would borrow artwork from our library. And the delightful evening I spent with my family reliving childhood memories with Cowboy Bob in the Red Room at the library only a couple of months ago.

However, on Thursday night, I had a whole different kind of experience. The library hosted a program by a local floral shop: Claudia's Flora Bunda (www.claudiasflorabunda.com). The program was completely free and included each participant being guided in the creation of their own daisy basket. I don't know how the program came to be, I didn't ask. Whether the flower shop volunteered or the library recruited them, it doesn't matter. It was simply a delightful evening.

I reconnected with my flower design roots as I remembered fondly the floral designs of my mother and grandmother. I was surrounded by people eager to learn and people who were supportive of their efforts. God orchestrated my sitting next to a woman who shared similiar experiences with a child born with a heart defect. It was amazing. I love living in my hometown. I love my library. I love my LORD who brought me back to my hometown after a little waundering. He has great plans for me and hidden treasures, some of which I can find at my own library.

Washed Up & Broken

Walking down the beach at sunrise is not a regular occurrence for me. Doing anything at sunrise for that matter is not part of my routine. However on our family vacation to Folly Beach, South Carolina, I enjoyed a couple of very early mornings on the beach watching the sunrise.

Besides the view of God's beautiful handiwork in the sunrise, I also saw His majesty and grace in the shells that littered the beach. Lapping waves and the squish of sand between my toes. The crunch of small shells under my feet.

Searching for sand dollars and shells, the Lord taught me a lesson about being washed up and broken. My niece was in search of shells worthy to take home for a best friend. She said she didn't want "just any shell", it had to be "special". Looking for the "perfect shell" became a challenge. But what I soon came to realize was that the "perfect shell" didn't exist.

Most of the shells that had washed up were broken or worn by the sea. Even the shells that seemed to be in tact were really just half of what they used to be and the creature that lived inside them was no more. That meant they were not whole, if they weren't whole, they couldn't be perfect. Instead, I began to see the beauty and the desirability of even the most broken shell. I stopped looking for what others considered perfect or beautiful and started looking with different eyes.

That is me, I am washed up and broken. A sinner saved by grace. God has washed me in the waters of baptism, and though I am broken, I am broken as a part of His perfect will for me. My old self is gone and I am transformed into a new creation. My former self is now a new creature in Christ. I am no longer seen as imperfect, Christ's blood makes me perfect in God's eyes. I am treasured by The One who found me. I am in His grasp.

I will display the shells from my trip, but God doesn't want to put me in a container for display. No, He wants to pour me back out and send me out to be His ambassador. He wants me to tell the story of His grace, the story of His Son Jesus Christ whose body was broken for me. That I might be seen as perfect.