Perfectly Imperfect

I've now finished week 3 of commuting. It takes about an hour each way. So, needless to say, I've been spending a lot of time in the car.

While I am not a fan of sitting in traffic, these long drives have provided me ample time to ponder.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is this quote:

I've finally realized something about myself. I want to be perfect! Yup. I do. There's nothing wrong with that, but it is a problem to want perfection NOW. Or, I want to put things off until I am perfect. 

For example, I've recently realized that I have been telling myself I don't think I can get married until things are perfect in my life. Until I am at the perfect weight, until I've finally paid off my car and my student loan, until I've overcome my weaknesses, and so forth. What a flawed idea! No one is perfect! Elder Hales said, "we don't marry perfection, we marry potential." So, I hope one day (preferably sooner rather than later) an imperfect guy will come along and see my potential. And then we can continue to work on improving ourselves. 

Back to the Elder Nelson quote. This is so important. We are our own worst critics. Guess what? It's ok that we're not perfect right now. We can't be too hard on ourselves. Satan wants us to. But recognizing his influence is important. We need to remember that we are children of God with weaknesses and shortcomings. We can become better day after day through the enabling power of the Atonement. And one day in the far far future, because of our Savior we can become the perfect beings we so much want to become. Until then, let's be patient with ourselves and with each other.