Further Up and Further In

I'm a perfectionist by nature but I've learned perfection isn't always the best or most worthwhile thing. I'm also a person who loves deeply and is passionate about building meaningful relationships. This story is one that reminds me to engage more of the latter quality and worry less about the former. A young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. But an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.” The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating strongly but full of scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in … but they didn’t fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. The young man looked at the old man’s heart and laughed. “You must be joking,” he said. “C