Paulette and I lived in Colorado for a couple of years, and since that time, we have loved southwestern Native American art.  We have some pottery and two Navajo rugs.  Navajos believe that only God is perfect and that humans cannot reach God’s level of perfection.  This plays a role in their weaving; to that end Navajo rug weavers make sure that there is some small imperfection in each rug.  It can either be in the design or in the weave.  This imperfection is important to them for another reason; it is only through this flaw that the spirit (the spirit of creativity) can leave the rug and be present for the weaving of another rug. 

I have heard that similarly there are also deliberate flaws in some oriental rugs, since only Allah is perfect.  The Arabs also introduced flaws in their architecture, sometimes in the structure (e.g. not keeping perfect alignment) and sometimes in the decoration.  Since they didn’t depict human figures, much of their decoration was geometric; for example, the famous Alhambra has many decorative tile patterns, which motivated much of Escher’s art.  Many of these Islamic geometric designs contain minor deliberate flaws.

In Japan some artistic traditions feel that having deliberate flaws is a necessary part of art; this idea is called “Wabi sabi.”  Aside from honoring the deity, these traditions feel that there is beauty in the imperfections, and that beauty itself is impermanent and incomplete.  In the case of pottery, the flaws may be a minor lack of symmetry, a small change in texture or color, or even a small chip or crack.

These examples are from other cultures and other views of deity, but on occasion Christian artists have also acted on the basis that only God is perfect.  I don’t know of any examples in famous paintings, but it does occur in the construction of cathedrals.  In our own National Cathedral in Washington, D. C., the main arches over the central aisle meet slightly off-center.

What does this say about our lives as Christians?  I don’t know about you, but there’s no need for me to introduce deliberate flaws.  I have plenty of naturally occurring ones.  This makes what Jesus says in Matthew 5:48 very challenging.  He says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  I think that Jesus knows our predicament; this is impossible for us.  Nevertheless, he sets this as a goal, and it’s a real goal (as opposed to an abstract one).  We are to humbly and faithfully strive to achieve it.  God has created us in his image, and his love for us is unconditional.  It’s just my opinion, but like “Wabi sabi”, I think he finds beauty in our flawed images of him as we try to reach this goal of perfection.

Jim