Genesis 2:7
"...and man became a living soul."
You are not perfect. No one is perfect.
In the beginning, we were perfect, but life messed it up.
The result of God's creation of mankind was perfection.
What we see as imperfections usually results from our opinion of God's creation. Our opinions are usually influenced by cultural expectations.
If we could create ourselves to fit our idea of perfection, what would our appearance be?
How tall would we be? What color would we make our eyes? How old would we be? Would we have six-pack abs, bulging biceps, and barrel-sized chests? Would we have Coca-Cola bottle shapes with protrusions in all of the right places? Would we have dazzling bedroom eyes, luscious lips, and romantic voices?
What about our personalities? Would we be acceptable? Desirable? Loveable?
Obviously, all of us would have a hard time creating the perfect man or woman, just as many have spent years searching for that elusive person but have always come up short.
It seems that everyone has something missing from the list. If we look good, we don't have a job. If we have a job and look good, we don't have desirable bodies. If we have bodies, jobs, youth, looks, and dazzling eyes, then it turns out that we are not romantic.
If we are romantic, it may turn out that we are too short. If we are tall, with everything else, we can't dance.
There will always be something too long or too short in our search for perfection.
God's creation is perfect because he is able to change, mold, shape, and reshape it in the palm of his hand.
When we yield ourselves to God, he will mold us into the perfect specimen for our mission. We are happy with ourselves when we know we are ready for his service.
Black Perspective:
We should not be obsessed with perfection. No one is perfect, and African Americans have been especially subjected to unrealistic standards of beauty and perfection. We should focus on being our best selves, flaws and all.
We should not let cultural expectations dictate our self-worth. The media and other cultural institutions often promote images of beauty and success that are unattainable for most people. We should not let these images define who we are or what we are capable of.