The Lord laid some things on my heart the other day which opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on life and I wanted to share:
My whole life I’ve been afraid of weakness and failure, fears which seem to be pretty common. We, as people, want to come off as our best selves, showing off the good we have to offer — our strengths opposed to our weaknesses. But the reality is, we mess up…a lot. None of us are perfect and although perfection seems to be what we strive for in a lot of cases, it’s unreachable. It’s enviable that we’ll make mistakes, but we can’t get stuck on the sins of our pasts.
There is no reason to sit in shame because the things that are from our pasts are just that. The past. You are not who you were yesterday, you are who you are right now. Jesus paid the cost for each and every one of our sin’s and brokenness and we’ve been redeemed. The messy parts of life, the hard things, that we sometimes want to forget, and the brokenness, got us where we are. God used them to mold us into the people we are today. It is all a testimony to God’s glory and His goodness.
No one will never be perfect — for me, I think back to where I was, who I was when Jesus found me and I realize that I have no right to call this life my own. From this moment on, I need to give everything I have up to the Lord. I will mess up, it’s inevitable, but His love and His blood has overcome my imperfection, my sin, my pain, my doubts, my fears, my sadness, my ugliness, my brokenness. I am His daughter and He is delighted with me. I don’t have to feel worthy…because I’m not. I in no way deserve all that He has given me, but that’s the best part. He still gives me His unfailing love, every second, of every day.
I’ve realized that I have a problem with grace. More specifically, giving myself grace, which I think is another commonality among humans. I look at my past and I’m disgusted. I think, “ no one could love me or forgive me or accept all I’ve down and gone through.” But when I hear other people’s broken pasts, I see them through God’s eyes: redeemed, made mew, loved and beautiful. Still, in my eyes, it’s out of the question that others would see anything but my past mistakes when I open up.
WHAT A HUGE LIE FROM THE EMENY!!!
Not only does the enemy want us to sit in the shame, fear and guilt of our pasts, but he wants these testimonies of God’s glory and goodness to stay hidden from the world because he knows just how good and powerful they are.
The song “Pieces” by Amanda Cook came on the other day, and although I’ve heard it at least a thousand times, it stood out in a different way. Here are some lyrics that stood out:
Unreserved, unrestrained
Your love is wild, Your love is wild for me
It isn’t shy, it’s unashamed
Your love is proud to be seen with me
You don’t give Your heart in pieces
You don’t hide Yourself to tease us
Your love’s not fractured
It’s not a troubled mind
It isn’t anxious, it’s not the restless kind
Your love’s not passive
It’s never disengaged
It’s always present
It hangs on every word we say
Love keeps its promises, it keeps its word
It honours what’s sacred, cause its vows are good
Your love’s not broken
It’s not insecure
Your love’s not selfish, Your love is pure
This song is so powerful. It truly describes the unfailing love Jesus has for us and the love we’re called to have for others. It doesn’t matter how big your sin feels, how heavy your burdens are, or how much shame you feel…Your sins have been paid for, the Lord offers to carry your burdens and that shame you’re feeling doesn’t come from Him, it is straight from the enemy and has no place in your life. The love that the Lord has for each of His children is constant and unchanging, just like His character. You can’t do anything to make Him love you more, but you also can’t do anything to make Him love you any less.
I just want to encourage anyone who is caught in shame or guilt to remind yourself, as I’ve had to remind myself, that you have been redeemed, you have been made new and the mistakes of your past in no way define who you are today. Walk in the freedom Jesus Christ has provided you and never stop sharing the testimonies that prove His faithfulness and goodness.
