Perfect is the Enemy of the Good
![DSCN0138[1]](http://www.blessedisthekingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/DSCN01381-231x300.jpg "DSCN0138[1]")
Close to a year ago I began this blog with the quote, The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Today’s lesson in iconography helped deepen that belief. We began the process today of adding highlights to the icon as well as layers of paint which are called floats. The highlights are meant to bring forward light from the image, while the floats tend to bring a softer tone to the colors.
It was mentioned today that the floats can be very merciful as they can cover over mistakes that are made in the highlights, making them less apparent. They are also meant to remind us that Christians should avoid pride. Just as the floats cover over the mistakes in highlights, they also cover the successes and can keep us from having too high of an opinion of our own work. At my current skill level it is more often the forgiveness of mistakes that I am in need of with the floats, but pride can easily find a home in any of us. A couple of days back, I stopped to look with admiration at the lines of a perfectly drawn hand, only to be horrified a few seconds later when a plop of black paint fell directly on top of it. I cleaned up the now not completely perfect hand and said a short prayer of thanks for the lesson in humility.
My hope is that the practice of iconography will continue to remind me that our God does not seek perfect Christians. He prefers faithful ones instead.
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