101. Life Is Real and Imperfect, and That's a Good Thing

Last week we celebrated a milestone on the podcast: 100 episodes! It's actually hard for me to believe how fast the time has gone. With adding a new episode each week, we've covered much territory and have grown in numerous ways together. To celebrate this milestone, we are reaching back into the archives this week to one of the most popular and most played episodes out of these 100: episode number 2, titled The Imperfect Real Life. To continue the celebration, also for the next three weeks I will be highlighting a popular past episode. I pray these encourage your heart. So, without further ado, let's find some help and hope as we remind ourselves how life is real and imperfect, and friend, that's a good thing.

Life is real and imperfect.

Because who wants to live a fake and perfect one? Well, perfect sounds pretty good to this recovering perfectionist, but we know living on this side of heaven, we can't live the perfect life no matter how hard we try. But actually, that's a good thing. Because if our lives were perfect, would we even need Jesus??

As I was preparing for this episode, I was reminded of a friendship from long ago. This friend appeared to live the perfect life. I share about it in the episode and the lessons I learned from this relationship.

No one’s life is perfect, no matter how it may appear.

No one is exempt from real life, no matter how hard we try to avoid it.

Living an imperfect real life is much better than living a pretend life.

What is a real life, anyway?

Oxford Languages defines it as, “life as it is lived in reality, involving unwelcome as well as welcome experiences, as distinct from a fictional world.”

Maybe someone you know appears to be living the perfect life. And quite possibly you wonder, what’s wrong with me? Even though deep down you know no one has the perfect life, you begin to wonder why is my life not perfect like hers?

We each live imperfect real lives, and as Jesus said, we each experience trouble in them in John 16:33. But, the hope we have is He has overcome everything we go through. Isn’t that the best news?

So, friend, yes, life is real and imperfect. Let's embrace these lives together. May we share them with each other. May we be authentic and transparent with one another. And may we always thank God for our imperfect, yet beautiful, real lives.

Links in this episode:

• Follow me on Instagram @julielefebure

• Beth Moore’s Instagram

• Access my free Resources including fun printables, lock screens, social posts, and lots of encouragement

• Join the private Encouragement for Real Life Community on Facebook