on raggedyness

I'm embracing my raggedyness. Why on earth embrace raggedyness? Isn't that the opposite of what we're inclined to do? Aren't we encouraged to embrace greatness and strive for improvement? Shouldn't we embrace - what's the opposite of raggedyness - spiffyness? 

I don't think so. Or, at least I don't think so anymore. Here's what I've discovered: I can't be perfect.

I'm sure some of you have arrived at this conclusion about me before I did, but it's a fairly new discovery for me. I mean, I knew I was not perfect and I would not let me forget it. I would get discouraged with myself if I messed up. Somehow I thought I should be perfect. I thought that if I wasn't perfect I would be letting people around me down. Not to mention letting God down. Implicit in the assumption that I should be perfect is the notion that I could be perfect. Of course I know that is not true, otherwise I'd be God. 

Hold on. Light bulb moment!

 It occurred to me that God knows He's the only One Who's perfect. (no duh.) And that He knows that no one else is perfect. In fact, that's why Jesus came and lived and died and rose again - because of our imperfections  raggedyness sins. 

 So then, it is reasonable to conclude that, God doesn't expect me to be perfect. And if that's true, then it follows that He's not mad at me when I fail because He knows I will. In which case I believe that I can confidently conclude that He loves me even when I'm raggedy.
 
 
He loves Raggedy Anne.

 So I'm embracing my 'raggedyness.' I know. It's not a word. That's fine with me. It seems appropriate - even raggedy, to embrace a word that's so inexact as to not actually be a word.

If it could be in the dictionary, though, this is how I would define it:

raggedyness

rag·ged·y·ness   \ˈra-gə-dē-nəs\ 

- noun
  1. being in a somewhat tattered condition. Her raggedyness makes her more human.
  2. the state of being characterized by brokenness. That is why I delight in raggedyness. For when I am raggedy, then I am strong.