The Perfect Pipe

As I sit here tonight, I am enjoying a great, after-dinner smoke of Virginia Spice.  I am smoking this in a pipe that I had commissioned by a good friend in the UK, Kirk, of Briar Spirit Pipes.  To most people, this pipe would be just a simple pipe that has visible flaws.  There is a small pit in the outside of the bowl that most pipe collectors would say is the mark of an imperfect pipe.  They would not want it in their collection as , in their opinion, the pit is a fatal flaw.  Some renoun pipe makers would even point out that the shape could have been finessed a bit more to make it a "perfect pipe".  None of this matters to me, as I see the pipe for what it really is.  It is an instrument for the burning of tobacco to produce a pleasing taste and aroma.  To me, this is a perfect pipe.  It does exactly what it is meant to do, and very well I might add.  Even, what others would call imperfections, are perfect to me.  They add character and uniqueness in a world of "perfect" pipes. 

This brings to mind a scripture that I just read tonight.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

God made each and every one of us, flaws and all.  We suffer from the dings of life, and "pits" in our characters.  To others, we are not "perfect".  We suffer from inherent faults, like the unstraight grain in this pipe.  However,  God saw us before we were born.  He knows exactly how we will turn out.  He knows all of our flaws.  We may have physical deformities and mental issues.  How could anyone want us for their friend? How are we desirable?   Remember, it isn't what a pipe looks like that makes it perfect, it is how it smokes.  In the same way, it isn't our looks or personality that makes  us perfect, but how we live for God.  Even the best smoking pipe has its off days, and tobacco blends that it doesn't smoke well.  It is the same way with us.  We are not perfect in every situation.  But, God made us for a reason.  We are valuable and perfect in His eyes as he knows where to put us so that we can be "perfect" for Him.