Despite it All
Wanna play a fun game?
Let's play "Who has more sins!"
I bet I'll win.
Perhaps it was a dysfunctional childhood or the rock and roll, long-haired 80s lifestyle I lived in for the better part of a decade that caused me to partake in a multitude of transgressions.
I'm sure you have your reasons, too.
Do you ever get the chills when you remember some of those whopper mistakes? It's like, what the heck was I thinking, and how did I even survive that?
Because, hey, not everyone did.
Sometimes, I beat myself up for what I did - not that I can change anything.
Sometimes, I get angry or sad that no one protected me and stopped me from doing things I did—not that I would have listened.
Sometimes, I feel like the biggest hypocrite writing about God's love when there are people out there who know the old or sassy me and laugh at the irony - not that they really think that (even though I sometimes do).
Despite our sins (present, past, or future), God deems us worthy of love, forgiveness, and multiple do-overs.
God is nothing if not patient and merciful.
I don't know how He does it. I'm certainly not that easy on those who sin against me.
I can be a real sanctimonious, judgey judgerson.
It might be because I am so hard on myself about my shortcomings that I am so tough on others.
God has been so merciful to me and has given me SO many chances to live a life worthy of his kindness, grace, and forgiveness.
Sometimes, I crush it; sometimes, I fall back and have to start over.
And no matter what, He finds me worthy of another shot at it.
Even though I beat you in the sins competition (at least I got a trophy for something - I never was very good at sports), I'm guessing you struggle with some of the same judgments and struggles.
Despite it all, God deems you worthy of unconditional love, forgiveness, and another chance.
Despite it all, God deems them worthy of unconditional love, forgiveness, and another chance.
Thank you, God, for never giving up on any of us
Romans 5:8
But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 4:32
Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Luke 11: 1-4
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:
'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us].And lead us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.'"