Do you ever feel like you’ve blown it? Today, I got furious—loud voice, defensive words, anger, tears, and regret. Wow, I sure blew up!
The condemnation and guilt I heaped on myself soon followed. Who do you think you are? A Christian? Hahaha, what a joke! You can’t even keep your temper and tears under control. You’d think by now you would have matured enough to behave better.
Sometimes, the enemy tells us we are no good, we’ll never be any good, and why bother anyway? The guilt of not being perfect can sometimes feel impossible to conquer. Then, waves of discouragement overcome us when we think we’ll never meet the expectations of being a good Christian.
But friends, we don’t have to be perfect. God doesn’t call us to be perfect. He loves us and offers us grace. We only need to receive it.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
As believers in Jesus, we are free from condemnation. That freedom comes with his grace and mercy. God asks us to lean into, depend on, trust, and run to him when we mess up! We must pray, ask for forgiveness, and accept his grace. We can rest in that mercy and forgiveness that comes from our belief and trust in Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross gives us freedom from the guilt and shame of not being perfect.
“But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 9, TPT).
After my angry outburst, I had to humble myself and ask forgiveness for the harsh words I spoke, the angry voice I used, the defensive posture I took, the tears I shed, and the regret I felt for my actions. Humbling myself is hard. My human reaction is to resist, react, and defend.
But there is grace—a grace we don’t deserve, a grace Jesus gives freely through love, and a grace we need to provide to others freely in return.
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36, NLT).
Grace is the only way to heal a heart, mend a wound, and move forward in love. Grace covers a multitude of sins, but we need to humble ourselves, control our emotions, and ask for forgiveness when we blow it.
God did not create us to go through life alone and without help. Divine help is only a prayer away if we reach out and accept our freedom with grace.
(Originally published in "Girl Read Your Bible Study" FB group/page: here is the link to follow: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=494360980013310&set=pb.100083182364590.-2207520000&type=3)
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