Monday, April 22, 2013

Good Enough for God


I could be the girl in this picture. Countless times I have found myself feeling like I let God down and begging for Him to take me back.
All the times I said "this is the last time" and it wasn't...All the times I didn't guard my heart...All the times I told God I was going to do something and did the exact opposite. All the times I turned my back on God only to run back to Him the very next second. 
We think to ourselves, "if I just stay sober God will love me more" …"if I can just not grab those pills God will love me more"…"If I can just resist that temptation, He will love me more". 
This is a lie. However, I can honestly say I still find myself playing this game.
God doesn't work this way. He doesn't have His clipboard out, marking all the times we mess up and saying, "ok. theres another mistake…oh wait, there's one more."  He doesn't hold our failures against us.
I had the mindset for so long that is I didn't give into the addiction for a certain amount of time, God would bless me with a husband. I believed that if I gave enough money away, God would bless me with a good job. My religion had everything to do with works and nothing to do with grace. 
We don't love and follow God for His blessings. When God does bless His children, He does it so they can bless others. But we don't follow God to get rich, to get the perfect job to find the perfect husband. We follow God because He is our Creator and He deserves our worship.
God isn't looking for individuals who can play the Sunday Church Game the best. He isn't looking for those who have read the Bible 16 times and can quote all of Matthew, but still live under the law. He is looking for those who know that they are absolutely nothing without Him. He isn't looking for perfect, He is looking for real.
Stop beating yourself up over every mistake, every fall, every missed opportunity.
 If you are like me, stop trying to earn grace.
Christ died while we were still sinners. He loves you and I where we are at and in whatever mess we are in. 
God's love is greater than all the mistakes you and I have ever made and will every make. His purpose remains and nothing can change that. 
He loves you (flaws and all) because you are His. 

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" 
Jeremiah 31:3