Imperfect Bread is Still Worth Sharing 

by Jody Sackman

Recently, I’ve been working on perfecting my sourdough sandwich loaf. My first attempt had me feeling pretty confident. The two maiden loaves were actually ‘pretty’ and tasty, too. My second attempt had me feeling much like a novice once again. The loaf was not pretty at all. I thought to myself, “Good thing I didn’t offer this to anyone for sale. They would have been mighty disappointed.” Soon after those thoughts, I heard the whisper, “Even imperfect bread is still worth sharing!” My mind hasn’t stopped thinking about that phrase. For me, when I gift someone something that I have made, I want it to be perfect! Well, as close to perfect as it can be. Sadly, because of the outside imperfections, that ugly loaf would have found its way to the trash can. Yet, it was too much work to give up on it. After slicing it open, it was in fact soft and tasted delicious, too! 

The truth is we are much like those loaves of bread. We tend to feel as if we don’t have much to offer because of our imperfections. We may feel useless, less than, not pretty enough, not healed enough, not Christian enough, etc. BUT perhaps what you don’t know is this...God uses it all! The imperfect, the broken, and even the unhealed parts of us to help minister to others. 

Truth be told, He can use it all if we allow Him.

The next time you choose to bake a loaf of bread, and the exterior turns out looking slightly “off,” I pray you’ll remember this:  it’s truly what’s inside that counts. It’s the condition of our hearts that God sees! God cares much more about our faith and character rather than our outward appearance. Remember, we are all imperfect beings, walking around in an imperfect world. Yet, if we allow God to work in us, He can and He will use every imperfect part of us! ((For His good and His glory!))

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV