For years now I have had this ongoing stream of thoughts running through my head, most of which has to do with the topic of love and relationships. I would love to say I am an expert, but the reality is, this is one area that I failed in more times than I care to admit. In this world, success is often defined by accomplishments and by how well we learn and do things. But as I have come to realize, God's economy has more to do with failure than success.
I heard it said that the first time you make a wrong/bad choice it is called a "mistake" - you didn't know any better; the second time you do the same thing it is considered a "failure" - you knew better but still made a wrong choice. The third time you make that same bad choice, it is considered to be a "character flaw". And what is it called when you continue to make the same bad choices after that? Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results. I guess you could say I fall into this last category.
Yet there is hope for people like me - as least in God's eyes. I may not have learned much, but this I know: God is made strongest in our areas of greatest weakness and failure. And it is in these very areas, if surrendered to Him, that He uses us in the most powerful ways to touch the lives of others. Why? Because these failures teach us to be dependant on His abilities - and not on our own. And every time we wander away thinking "I get it now!" (which I do quite often), He humbles us once again through failure. Not to condemn us, but to save us and give us a life that is far beyond our wildest dreams.
So I am not here to talk about all of my wonderful success stories in love and relationships, nor about the "10 steps to a better........" fill in the blank. I wish I could provide a winning formula , but then it would only serve to sterilize the journey, eliminating the mystery, drama and adventure of discovering it for yourself.....through failure. :-)
And if there is one thing that I love most about the Christian faith which sets it apart from all other world religions, it's that no matter how much you have screwed up and trashed your life and others, there is hope for the loser. Those who know they are a failure (note it is a state of being and not just an action that needs changing) are the very people Jesus seeks to reach out to with His love and mercy; people who are desperate for change and who know their need is great. In Jesus words, "I came for those who know they need a doctor - not those who think they are already 'good enough'". A simple tune up will not fix the problem - only a complete overhaul, or better yet, a total exchange.
So being a "loser" can be a good thing because you know it is more than just your actions that need to change.
And the beauty of it is that the greatest of failures can be transformed into the greatest, most sought after and most needed commodity here on earth..........Love. For God is love. And He has called us to abide in Him and to walk in His ways (His nature). He has freely given us this amazing gift, something we could never earn or achieve by our own merits. Jesus provided a perfect example of God's character, and He purposely set the bar beyond our capabilities so that through failure, we would see our need for Him. Can you see now why he had a reputation for hanging out with .....prostitutes, low-life, notorious sinners, the hurting, the sick the broken,the helpless...... losers?
Our choice then is to give up and become hard, bitter and fearful of taking risks - or to give in, embrace His nature, and become like Him. Seem like a no brainer.
Jesus said that "He who is forgiven much - loves much, but he who is forgiven, loves little". Don't we all want to love much (and be loved)? The world scorns those who screw up badly and calls them "losers". Yet Jesus recognizes that those who own up to their many failures (desperate for change) are the very ones who are capable of loving Him and others the most. But those who harden their hearts and in pride overlook (or justify) the gravity of their mistakes (and character flaws) not only lose out on this lesson of love, but they are destined for to repeat these mistakes again and again - further damaging themselves and thos around them. That's insane....
By embracing my failures, weaknesses, and inabilities and turning to God's love, I can then become a vessel of healing instead of a carrier of woundedness and pain.
I have been in that place of insanity and have learned that avoiding people is not the answer. And so choosing love means allowing God to change me (not everyone else) so that I can finally embrace His life of love within in me - a love that never falters and never fails. And by doing this, I can become a vessel of healing instead of pain. That's called redemption.
I hope you join me on this first of many discussions on love and relationships. Starting off with the details of my own failures (yikes!), I hope to provide a more clear picture of who God really is - and how His love overcomes everything, restoring hope, conquering every fear, and redeeming our pasts.
I heard it said that the first time you make a wrong/bad choice it is called a "mistake" - you didn't know any better; the second time you do the same thing it is considered a "failure" - you knew better but still made a wrong choice. The third time you make that same bad choice, it is considered to be a "character flaw". And what is it called when you continue to make the same bad choices after that? Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results. I guess you could say I fall into this last category.
Yet there is hope for people like me - as least in God's eyes. I may not have learned much, but this I know: God is made strongest in our areas of greatest weakness and failure. And it is in these very areas, if surrendered to Him, that He uses us in the most powerful ways to touch the lives of others. Why? Because these failures teach us to be dependant on His abilities - and not on our own. And every time we wander away thinking "I get it now!" (which I do quite often), He humbles us once again through failure. Not to condemn us, but to save us and give us a life that is far beyond our wildest dreams.
So I am not here to talk about all of my wonderful success stories in love and relationships, nor about the "10 steps to a better........" fill in the blank. I wish I could provide a winning formula , but then it would only serve to sterilize the journey, eliminating the mystery, drama and adventure of discovering it for yourself.....through failure. :-)
And if there is one thing that I love most about the Christian faith which sets it apart from all other world religions, it's that no matter how much you have screwed up and trashed your life and others, there is hope for the loser. Those who know they are a failure (note it is a state of being and not just an action that needs changing) are the very people Jesus seeks to reach out to with His love and mercy; people who are desperate for change and who know their need is great. In Jesus words, "I came for those who know they need a doctor - not those who think they are already 'good enough'". A simple tune up will not fix the problem - only a complete overhaul, or better yet, a total exchange.
So being a "loser" can be a good thing because you know it is more than just your actions that need to change.
And the beauty of it is that the greatest of failures can be transformed into the greatest, most sought after and most needed commodity here on earth..........Love. For God is love. And He has called us to abide in Him and to walk in His ways (His nature). He has freely given us this amazing gift, something we could never earn or achieve by our own merits. Jesus provided a perfect example of God's character, and He purposely set the bar beyond our capabilities so that through failure, we would see our need for Him. Can you see now why he had a reputation for hanging out with .....prostitutes, low-life, notorious sinners, the hurting, the sick the broken,the helpless...... losers?
Our choice then is to give up and become hard, bitter and fearful of taking risks - or to give in, embrace His nature, and become like Him. Seem like a no brainer.
Jesus said that "He who is forgiven much - loves much, but he who is forgiven, loves little". Don't we all want to love much (and be loved)? The world scorns those who screw up badly and calls them "losers". Yet Jesus recognizes that those who own up to their many failures (desperate for change) are the very ones who are capable of loving Him and others the most. But those who harden their hearts and in pride overlook (or justify) the gravity of their mistakes (and character flaws) not only lose out on this lesson of love, but they are destined for to repeat these mistakes again and again - further damaging themselves and thos around them. That's insane....
By embracing my failures, weaknesses, and inabilities and turning to God's love, I can then become a vessel of healing instead of a carrier of woundedness and pain.
I have been in that place of insanity and have learned that avoiding people is not the answer. And so choosing love means allowing God to change me (not everyone else) so that I can finally embrace His life of love within in me - a love that never falters and never fails. And by doing this, I can become a vessel of healing instead of pain. That's called redemption.
I hope you join me on this first of many discussions on love and relationships. Starting off with the details of my own failures (yikes!), I hope to provide a more clear picture of who God really is - and how His love overcomes everything, restoring hope, conquering every fear, and redeeming our pasts.
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