Season 4 - Episode 30

To listen to an audio version of this post, visit www.covenantchurch.ca/podcasts/covenant-weekly.

I’ve been thinking about our current facility challenges - challenges that will cost a fair bit of money and time to truly resolve. The problem with not being able to help is that it gives me time to think about it! We have a building that is aging and it has some needs. I’ve been thinking about both the blessings and the struggles of our space and it’s led me to write a poem about our imperfect building. I’m calling it An Ode to Imperfection and it is my offering for you today on our Covenant Weekly for April 8, 2025.

Another bucket of water to dump and a sniff of humid air
Can make us wonder why we do it - why it’s even there.
Decades ago the work of us built what we now hold
And with over forty years of age, challenges unfold.
Some of us can relate to the time-induced cracks.
We feel it in our bones while we’re using wet/dry vacs.

Frustration at the moment can lead us to complain.
Against a rising tide energy is hard to maintain.
But in the daily struggle, a beauty has appeared
As side by side, we labour with others who’ve volunteered.
Not all can do the physical, some are past that time.
But we still need each other to continue down the line.

I wish our building was perfect. No leaks. No cracks. No flaws.
But perfection has never been our goal. Goodness always was.
So we stand together, in Love pursuing right
And that’s included shovelling water in the night.
Despite the current troubles, our imperfect nest
Has been a place of blessing. It’s offered many rest.

Let’s be reminded - Spring’s fully on its way.
Give thanks for all God’s used our imperfect space for and work to the next day.

As a short addendum, this is true for people, too.
Our struggles now don’t undo what God has done through you.
Each of us on this journey, no matter where our ages fall,
Daily take the next right step in love, imperfections and all.