The Imperfectly Perfect Christmas

In this Advent and Christmas season, we are blessed with divine perfection. The gift of Christ comes in the form of an infant, newborn king. Christmas is the beginning of a long process of learning who we are, and who we are not. The Messiah was perfect in his birth and will show us the perfect example of how to live and love. The Messiah also helps us realize we are not perfect and in need of the divine one.

“The More Perfect You Are, the More Insecure You Become,” Darius Foroux writes in an article. In that same article, he calls us to strive for “Progress, not perfection.” Because, Foroux says, “Having an all-or-nothing mindset sets us back. This often keeps people from developing and sustaining things that help them succeed.” If we wait for the perfect moment, life will pass us by. We will miss divine opportunities. Worse, if we strive to become perfect ourselves, we develop a Messiah complex that can only lead to despair.

The progress does not lead to perfection, but it does lead to offering our best selves to others. The great gift of Christmas is not just the gift of a newborn. The gift is the acceptance and love the perfect one has for each one of us imperfect beings. None of us deserve the newborn king, yet instead of casting us away, God brings us God’s self in the Messiah. The Perfect one transforms our many imperfections.

Today, consider the many times we’ve tried to create the perfect holiday season, only to be left feeling disappointed. Ask yourself, “what does Christmas mean to me?” If it is only the presents, the pretty lights, and a vacation, then disappointment is inevitable. Instead, if Christmas is about the Christ-child offering the gift of Himself, then the perfect will touch your heart. Our Christmas does not need to be perfect, only our hope to be touched by the perfect one. Christ makes our Christmas perfect.