Happy Wednesday, church family!
I remember one evening my sophomore year in college, I was sitting at my desk studying for an anatomy lab exam (you know, just trying to memorize every single nerve in the body). I was completely and totally overwhelmed. I was behind in all my coursework in general, trying to decide if I should change my major, and just trying to process whatever else was going on in my 19 year brain. So back to today’s time, one would think that when my 19 year old sophomore in college daughter experienced a bout of being overwhelmed, I would completely understand. Wrong.
Thankfully, for my daughter’s sake, I kept my mouth shut and just listened. But, man, my heart and mind were NOT in agreement. Come on, suck it up, buttercup! The stuff you’re overwhelmed with is not that much. I found myself comparing her to me, yet with a slightly skewed memory of that age. A few days later, she slept through a midterm. As she was groggily pulling herself from bed, and I was muttering sarcastic things about not sleeping in, the words from Sunday’s sermon came screaming back to me:
Jesus never terminates his love for me when I fail,
and the same goes for you. The big mistakes and the small ones…
He never stops loving me.
Gosh darnit. I wasn’t terminating my love for my daughter, but I was certainly not showing love in that moment. In that split second of my remembering the sermon, I realized she didn’t need criticism and chastising right then, but support, and guidance. She was overwhelmed, and wasn’t sure what to do next. And frankly, she was upset at herself enough for the both of us. She’s never done this before, and here I was, holding her to the standard of perfection. Was my response and attitude the best I could have done? Nope. I’m pretty sure some irritation leaked into my tone, but the Holy Spirit kept everything else wrangled in
Friends, when I mess up, when I’m overwhelmed, Jesus doesn’t shove my face in what I did, or should have done. Rather, He waits for me to come to Him, listens, guides, yes, chastises, but with gentleness. My mess-ups don’t cause Him to stop loving me. As a parent, I want to model this love to my children, and be the safe place they can come when they fail, knowing that nothing they do will change my love for them. Will there be times when real frustration and chastising is warranted? Absolutely. But that’s a story for another day.
Jesus, thank You for loving me in spite of my shortcomings. I choose to accept Your love and grace when I’m not perfect, and to include that grace and compassion when it comes to my relationship with my children. Thank you for my girls, and the relationship we have. Bless and seal all these good things in Your name, amen!
May your week be blessed,
Lisa
