As you can see from my last post, I've been recently reading under the topic of "children" in my Bible. I realized I had some negative thinking, and I was searching for Truth to counteract.
Since finishing that brief study, it only makes sense that I would next gravitate to the topic of "failure;" because I have yet to meet a parent who doesn't feel like one, and I'm at the very front of that line every single day.
Last weekend, God put me on a lonely stretch of beach with children a hundred miles away and my husband across the street watching tv in the hotel room just so He could really grab my attention over this topic right off the bat. (Which is a good thing, because I have been ultimately distracted during my quiet times this week. Satan really doesn't want me to learn these truths about failure. Probably because the Truth sets me free.) I encourage you to take a moment to sit with your Bible in hand, and read these passages along with me.
The first passage I read was Joshua 1.
God had already promised their land, their home, to His people many times. Here they are, standing on the very edge of this promise about to be fulfilled -- and God has to tell them four times to be strong and courageous in claiming His promise and its fulfillment. He has to remind them again that He is with them, that He goes before them, that He has provided a future for them.
"'I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.'" v.5
In the same passage, He implores us to study the Word so that we will have success and prosper -- so that we will know these promises that we are supposed to cling to and watch come true for us as believers. During His conversation with Joshua at the beginning of this book, He closes His words by reminding us yet again that we are to be strong and courageous because He is with us wherever we go, whatever we face. Even through our failures. Is that not love?
In summary: we are to be strong and courageous in claiming the promises and Truths that are ours as believers.
This was a phenomenal introduction before reading the Truth concerning my failures. The passages that the Lord took me to on the following days were unexpected in such a study, but they were definitely powerful.
Romans 3:23-26 was the next passage that I read. My friend, Hope (along with the Israelites in Joshua) reminds us how human it is to err:
"Have you ever "messed up" something so bad that it made you want to crawl back in bed and hideaway for a time? Have you ever let someone down? Or have you ever said something you wish you could take back but it's too late now? Have you ever experienced the feeling of "falling short"?
.
You're not alone.
.
To mess up, to fall short, to sin, to disappoint ourselves and others,
- is to be HUMAN.
We all live in this space.
Let's not pretend that we don't.
.
It keeps us humble. We are not so different from each other, so before condemning another for their choice of words, or their actions (or the lack thereof), let's remember the grace we ALL need. The grace to cover wrongs, missteps, or honest blunders because we -none of us- are perfect.
.
And let's start with ourselves. I know how to overlook someone else's wrong, or bad choice of words or when they do or don't show up in the way I needed them to... but for me the particularly hard part is living with myself, giving grace to myself when *I* mess up. When I am the one with the poor choice of words, when I am the one who lost my temper, when I am the one in the place of weakness and temptation. When I fall, I often want to kick myself hard; I lose sleep over it, I stress and worry about it, I don't even want to try again. I'm relentless with the replays and how I could and should have done better. I rewrite the story only a million times and mourn the fact that it doesn't change it. You may not be like me, but I know some of you are out there who do the same. It's not even over "big" stuff, often it's the little things that get me the most.
.
So I want to remind you of something to anchor yourself to on days like these, you're normal 100%. We've all done stupid stuff. It's ok to fall short, you can learn and grow from the experience.
.
To YOUR FEARS I say-
1. To the fear that no one (or a certain someone) will not be able to look past it and love you through it, that's not on you, that's on them.
.
2. To the fear of being seen for all the flaws and imperfect person who continually falls. You are seen, and you are loved, loved deeply. So much that God Himself died for you as you are."
"Have you ever "messed up" something so bad that it made you want to crawl back in bed and hideaway for a time? Have you ever let someone down? Or have you ever said something you wish you could take back but it's too late now? Have you ever experienced the feeling of "falling short"?
.
You're not alone.
.
To mess up, to fall short, to sin, to disappoint ourselves and others,
- is to be HUMAN.
We all live in this space.
Let's not pretend that we don't.
.
It keeps us humble. We are not so different from each other, so before condemning another for their choice of words, or their actions (or the lack thereof), let's remember the grace we ALL need. The grace to cover wrongs, missteps, or honest blunders because we -none of us- are perfect.
.
And let's start with ourselves. I know how to overlook someone else's wrong, or bad choice of words or when they do or don't show up in the way I needed them to... but for me the particularly hard part is living with myself, giving grace to myself when *I* mess up. When I am the one with the poor choice of words, when I am the one who lost my temper, when I am the one in the place of weakness and temptation. When I fall, I often want to kick myself hard; I lose sleep over it, I stress and worry about it, I don't even want to try again. I'm relentless with the replays and how I could and should have done better. I rewrite the story only a million times and mourn the fact that it doesn't change it. You may not be like me, but I know some of you are out there who do the same. It's not even over "big" stuff, often it's the little things that get me the most.
.
So I want to remind you of something to anchor yourself to on days like these, you're normal 100%. We've all done stupid stuff. It's ok to fall short, you can learn and grow from the experience.
.
To YOUR FEARS I say-
1. To the fear that no one (or a certain someone) will not be able to look past it and love you through it, that's not on you, that's on them.
.
2. To the fear of being seen for all the flaws and imperfect person who continually falls. You are seen, and you are loved, loved deeply. So much that God Himself died for you as you are."
(This was a Facebook post she made the very day I was reading Romans 3:23 for myself. How cool is that?)
The next day, my "failure" reading took me to Romans 5. I was supposed to be there for verse 8; but because I prefer to take things in context, I read around this verse and discovered the gem that is verse 21:
"...so that, as sin reigned in death, even so, grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
And I realized something: Sin is everywhere. Death is everywhere. The consequences of the Fall are everywhere. It's hard to get away from them.
But even more prevalent than sin is grace, because Jesus came and died.
That can be encouraging to me in my failures because I now know that there is even more grace than there is sin. Think about that powerful Truth for just a minute and what it really means for you as a person.
My attitude is rough this morning. I have failed all over the place and it's not even 10am.
And I was wondering: Is repentance even necessary with an omniscient God? Can't we just not speak of my mess ups and move on? Especially knowing that there is already more grace in the world than sin.
WELL. My failure reading this morning took me to 1 John 1:8-9, which was sooooo appropriate for such thoughts as I had this morning. I didn't realize it right away and was wondering how these particular verses were even applicable to failure. But then I gave them some real thought (as distracted as I am this morning with 2 toddlers, a horde of animals, a heap of chores, and a smart phone). (Katie is currently on the potty and yelling at Mason for riding his car into the bathroom.)
Truth: I shouldn't gloss over my sins or "mess ups." That's like me saying that I have not sinned (v. 10).
Verse 9 clearly encourages me to confess when I mess up. God wants me to be real with Him.
These verses in 1 John are really twofold: Sin does not condemn me anymore because once saved, always saved. (Let's say that louder for the people in the back.) However, sin can be used as an important tool to bring me ever closer to God, in the way of confession and repentance.
When I admit that I messed up, that I can't do this perfectly by myself, I am reminded of my complete dependence on the grace of God -- and that is all He wants for me.
If I am a believer, walking in the light (v. 5-7) then my sin that is going to happen should bring shame. Shame should lead to confession and repentance. Confession and repentance brings about closeness with the Father, without Whom, I don't stand a chance.
Finally, I read Hebrews 10:36.
Actually, I read this passage before heading to 1 John; but I wanted to put it last because I want to leave you with a major Truth bomb I found.
At first, I didn't understand why this verse was included in my failure study. The book of Hebrews was a letter written to the first century church during a time of great persecution. The Jews-turned-Christian were greatly discouraged and nearly ready to throw in the towel and revert back to Judaism, the religion of their families and nation. Hebrews was written to remind them of the Gospel and encourage them (and honestly, to remind them that once the Truth is revealed to you, there is no going back without consequences).
The point is: faith is hard sometimes. The process of sanctification is painful and long and often means going against the flow.
When my failures seem overwhelming, and my faith in God's promises to me is hanging by a thread, and I feel totally ready to throw in the towel on trying, I need to remember the last part of Hebrews 10:36 -- and what this whole life is all about:
"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."
That which was promised to us is eternal life.
Even though I fail, and my mess ups feel overwhelming, I don't have to despair because my long-term game is already taken care of. The only reason my failures mean so much is because, as a believer, I desire to please Jesus and honor Him with my life in everything that I do -- which is important.
But the key word here is that I don't have to despair because the thing that matters most -- my spending forever pleasing Him perfectly -- is already secured, a sure thing.
So, really, my failures on this earth mean nothing at all, to me as a believer.
*drop mic*
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