Imperfectly Perfect Community
A Reflection by Ruth Ann Leigh
I was in a rush to the grocery store to pick up some fruit on my way to our Sacred Self, Sacred Community gathering. In my haste and diligence, I didn't even stop to get a shopping cart, wanting to ensure I wasn’t late for our 10 AM gathering.
I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to stop by the flowers and pick some up for the lovely host who was graciously opening her home to us for our brunch together. I thought I would quickly pick up a bouquet and move on to my 40-minute drive.
But God.
There are moments when I know I am rooted in Christ, because I feel a gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit’s presence telling me to be still and to receive something simple yet profound that I won’t understand if I am busy and in a hurry. So I made the intention to slow down and choose the right flowers from amongst the varying bouquets.
A small, unimpressive bouquet of deep purple dahlias caught my eye. I tried to move past them, as they didn’t measure up to the grand gesture I was hoping for. I kept coming back to them though, and when I stood long enough to really see them, I took a deep breath, exhaled, and let the Holy Spirit speak to me.
This bouquet became a beautiful representation of our sacred community, where we bring our sacred selves to sit, share, and eat together. Some of us are in full bloom, others brand new buds held tightly together and waiting to bloom. Within the bouquet was one stem that stood tall, its flowers missing and two branches broken. This flowerless stem is what caught my eye the first time; I was not going to purchase something with missing flowers. Still, here it was, and this perfectly imperfect bouquet of beauty and brokenness did not make it right or wrong—it just was.
The other thing I noticed was how the flowers that had fully bloomed were not towering over the others. They were actually at the base of the flower bouquet with the buds towering over them, and the broken stem stood even higher. There was such a beautiful message here, absent of presumed hierarchy or prominence, but instead a humble display of the beauty of a diverse gathering all in one bouquet the florist had chosen to arrange.
I stood in that simple pause, knowing this was a Sabbath moment. Because in my hurrying and worrying moment I had stopped myself, I was experiencing God‘s voice loud and clear.
The bouquet could also represent my own life with its varying seasons of waiting for new blooms to emerge and blossom; of being in full bloom; or when flowers have broken off and just stems remain. God has space for it all and equips us so beautifully to hold that same space for each other.
As I drove away from our beautiful time together—sitting outside in a beautiful backyard perfectly presented with such beautiful attention to detail—I felt deep gratitude for the honest and vulnerable sharing. I am so blown away and honored by the journey with my sacred self and sacred community. The sacredness of others has been beautiful to witness. God is in the diversity of that perfectly imperfect bouquet of flowers I was shown. God is in this space.
Did this reflection resonate with you?
We share the month’s theme in Sacred Circles every month. Come to one or come to all. New people are always welcome.