Stained

News Flash:  No one is perfect, not me, not you.  I know that comes as a shock, ( I mean the part about me not being perfect 🤣) but it is true. We all bear the stain of sin, of wrong choices, of mistakes.

We ALL make mistakes and poor choices..  

Read that again.

Our kids will ALL make mistakes and poor choices.

Read that again.

BUT…

The love of God covers it all.  We are not the sum of our sins.  We may make mistakes, but each of us has a choice.  A choice of how to walk forward after mistakes are made.

When you can recognize your mistake, apologize and move on, that is the beauty of God working in you.  And, as parents, helping our kids to navigate mistakes is both a great challenge and a great joy.

When, not if, someone treats you poorly or gets mad, or lies to you,

You have a choice.

You can write them off, hold a grudge, ignore them, choose not to spend time with them (and you may need to create healthy boundaries).  OR…

You can get curious.

You can ask yourself, I am curious why so and so reacted that way?

Was he/she mad at someone else?

Mad at themselves?

Frustrated because the situation felt out of control?

Disappointed because their plans were not working out?

Mad at themselves for making decisions that are now affecting what they can and cannot do?

Be curious.  Ask questions.  Wait.

Maybe after some time has gone by, your friend or co-worker, or family member will think about what happened.  Maybe that person will apologize.  Maybe not - but just taking a little time to process ~ to think about what could be causing the conflict ~ may just give you a different perspective.

More like God’s perspective of us.  John 3:16, most of us know this verse by heart, but open your Bible today.  Read a few verses before and a few verses after this verse.  What is God showing you today?

Open your Bible and Read John 3:16-17, take special note of John 3:17.

God sent his ONLY, much loved Son to suffer and die for us.  But, GET THIS ~ He did that, made that HUGE sacrifice…

While

We

Were

Still

A

Hot

Mess.

While we were making mistakes, making poor choices, and living outside of what is God’s best for us. God didn’t wait until we had our act together to send his Son for us, He sent his Son to save us, to redeem us, and to make a way for us to one day live with Him in perfection.  Not because of what we did, but because of how much He loves us.

Let that sink in a bit.  No matter your choices, no matter how you have been living, God sees you, God loves you, and God sacrificed his Son for YOU!  Right now, before you have it all together!  Oh what a relief it is! (If you can name that jingle - you are old 😂, just kiddin’...no seriously…OLD, just own it!)

He sent His Son.  His only Son, for me, for you.  For all of our striving towards perfection (pointing the finger at myself here).  He was not, He is not looking for perfection ~ that will only come when we meet him in heaven.

He is looking at us with mercy and love.  Just like His Word says in 

Ephesians 2:4-5

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

 

Did you get that?  “Even when we were dead in our trespasses”

What that means to me ~ even when I am 100% living in the mistakes I have made, in the results of choices that haven’t honored God, even then…ESPECIALLY then

GOD

Because of His mercy and love

Made me alive in Christ, and by the beautiful, mysterious grace of God.

I can turn from my mistakes and I can live a new life.  

A new life in freedom, basking in the great love of God.

ALL because of His mercy.

And guess what, not only does He give us new life - but God can use our mistakes for His glory.  He can bring beauty out of ashes, just like His Word says.

Isaiah 61:3

to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

So, even though my past and your past have its share of mistakes.  We can take those stained pieces of our lives, and slowly, mercifully and lovingly, allow God to put them together.  Allow Him to solder the broken pieces together so that He can make my life AND yours a beautiful, amazing stained glass window that reflects the love and mercy of God to everyone who can see us.

That’s what I want to be, I want God to use all of my broken pieces to create a beautiful stained glass window that reflects 

HIM.