Grace, Grace, and more Grace.
Do you ever feel like a failure? Maybe its at being a Mom, a wife, a friend...you name it. As women we can feel like failures at so many things.
That was me yesterday. My two year old didn't sleep through the night, rather, he woke up more times then I can count. Then, he woke up for good at 6am to a massive temper tantrum. By 10am I had had it and felt completely overwhelmed. I was frustrated and felt like a failure as a Mom because I couldn't get my two year old to act..well, normal. I failed at working out that morning, I failed at my quiet time...everything about the day just felt like one big problem.
If I am being honest with you, and with myself, I will admit that much of this past year has thrown me off and I have felt this way. The most defeating thing of all is that when these things happen, I have often felt like a failure in my faith. You know those people in the bible that everyone says "I want to be like that one" about? Yeah, me too, except to be real, I HAVENT been "like that one". This past year, I've identified with the ones that no one says that about! I have been like Thomas, the doubter. Or the father in Mark that cried out to Jesus saying, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" I have stumbled, fallen, and doubted God's great love for me more times than I care to admit. I have lost sight and run the opposite way at times, because no way God could love someone who was a mess like me! Have you ever felt this way? I'm sure someone can relate.
You guys, I'm here to tell you that its okay to feel that way sometimes. It means you are human! It means you are a Mom who is trying. It means you are a beautiful woman who has bad days, who is flawed like the rest of us. And I promise you, flawed is okay.
What do you do to get out of these feelings? If you had asked me three weeks ago, I would have told you that I knew what to do, but I didn't put it into practice. The answer? Jesus. He offers you grace when you feel like you don't deserve it. He offers it when you have yelled at your child, or gotten frustrated at your husband. When you have failed your friends, or worse, felt like you have failed Him. He offers it when you are like the father I talked about above, the one who cried out saying "Lord, help my unbelief!"
If you do a quick Google search, you find that Grace means "God's unmerited favor" or "His goodness toward those who have no claim on, nor reason to expect, divine favor." My favorite definition is this: "It literally means favour; to bend or stoop in kindness to another." Now take a moment to let that settle in your heart; Jesus offers you His grace, after grace, after grace. He gives it freely. He didn't ask for anything in return, He just gives you that kindness and mercy and love. He didn’t ask you to be perfect, He just wants a heart that wants Him, a heart that says “I need you, Lord.” Accepting His grace is EVERYTHING, and I am slowly learning that. Accepting His grace means stepping outside of myself and all my feelings of failing, and reminding myself that HE is enough. That the free gift of grace He offers me each and every moment is enough. So as you go about your day today, Mama, remember: "HIS GRACE is sufficient for you, for HIS power is made perfect in YOUR weakness." -2 Corinthians 12:9
That was me yesterday. My two year old didn't sleep through the night, rather, he woke up more times then I can count. Then, he woke up for good at 6am to a massive temper tantrum. By 10am I had had it and felt completely overwhelmed. I was frustrated and felt like a failure as a Mom because I couldn't get my two year old to act..well, normal. I failed at working out that morning, I failed at my quiet time...everything about the day just felt like one big problem.
If I am being honest with you, and with myself, I will admit that much of this past year has thrown me off and I have felt this way. The most defeating thing of all is that when these things happen, I have often felt like a failure in my faith. You know those people in the bible that everyone says "I want to be like that one" about? Yeah, me too, except to be real, I HAVENT been "like that one". This past year, I've identified with the ones that no one says that about! I have been like Thomas, the doubter. Or the father in Mark that cried out to Jesus saying, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" I have stumbled, fallen, and doubted God's great love for me more times than I care to admit. I have lost sight and run the opposite way at times, because no way God could love someone who was a mess like me! Have you ever felt this way? I'm sure someone can relate.
You guys, I'm here to tell you that its okay to feel that way sometimes. It means you are human! It means you are a Mom who is trying. It means you are a beautiful woman who has bad days, who is flawed like the rest of us. And I promise you, flawed is okay.
What do you do to get out of these feelings? If you had asked me three weeks ago, I would have told you that I knew what to do, but I didn't put it into practice. The answer? Jesus. He offers you grace when you feel like you don't deserve it. He offers it when you have yelled at your child, or gotten frustrated at your husband. When you have failed your friends, or worse, felt like you have failed Him. He offers it when you are like the father I talked about above, the one who cried out saying "Lord, help my unbelief!"
If you do a quick Google search, you find that Grace means "God's unmerited favor" or "His goodness toward those who have no claim on, nor reason to expect, divine favor." My favorite definition is this: "It literally means favour; to bend or stoop in kindness to another." Now take a moment to let that settle in your heart; Jesus offers you His grace, after grace, after grace. He gives it freely. He didn't ask for anything in return, He just gives you that kindness and mercy and love. He didn’t ask you to be perfect, He just wants a heart that wants Him, a heart that says “I need you, Lord.” Accepting His grace is EVERYTHING, and I am slowly learning that. Accepting His grace means stepping outside of myself and all my feelings of failing, and reminding myself that HE is enough. That the free gift of grace He offers me each and every moment is enough. So as you go about your day today, Mama, remember: "HIS GRACE is sufficient for you, for HIS power is made perfect in YOUR weakness." -2 Corinthians 12:9
Wow! That was amazing. And so needed. ��
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