Let me paint for you a mental picture of me in my most awkward phase. 

Just imagine an overly skinny and underconfident Junior High girl.  Twelve years old, and shy at school.  That was me.

During this season, I had a mentally challenged classmate who was relentlessly teased by other students.

I could see her innocence, so I did what any good person would do.  I treated her with respect.

Which she assumed meant friendship.  And I obliged.

One morning, I boarded the school bus, to be greeted by her.  LOUDLY.  And from the back of the bus, where the “cool” kids sat.  Somehow, she had managed to land a seat in the very back row, and she was saving a spot for me. 

And there she stood, waving her arms, calling my name.  The eyes of every snickering student firmly planted on my shy young face. 

I wanted to turn and run.

But I knew I had a decision to make.  One that would show kindness and integrity, or one that would be selfish and harsh.

So I gathered my courage and made the mile-long trek to the back of the bus, enduring taunts from other students the entire way down.

As I joined her, she was smiling and giddy, her innocent mind completely unaware of what had just transpired.

When I think back on that difficult day, I remember the emotions I felt and the very public test of my character. 

And I’m grateful, because I know that I made the right choice.

But let’s be honest.  I’ve made many other choices in my life as well.  Some of which probably won’t end up in a blogpost, because they are things I’m not overly proud of.  I’m betting you have a few of those too.

Life is wrought with decisions we must make every day. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don’t.

And friends, as believers, the world is watching us.

They want to know if we will walk our talk and if we are really any different at all. 

And this is where the life of a believer gets challenging, because sometimes, as I like to jokingly say, “Jesus forgets to show up” – which really means, WE forget to put him on display.

Often, I make choices that I know honor God.  But then there are those things that seem to trip me up more frequently than I’d like.  

Two of the biggest challenges I personally face are my patience and my mouth; showing frustration far too easily, and not holding my tongue when I should.  I often have to go back to the throne and ask for forgiveness, and for a change in my heart and my thinking. 

God, help me to look like Jesus, because sometimes I just don’t.

What is it that trips you up?  What are your character flaws – those things that remind you that you need Jesus, and that without him, you don’t look much different than your worldly counterparts?

All of us deal with something.  And thank goodness that when we don’t get it right, God understands. 

And he always shows us mercy.

Our failure upon failure, HIS grace upon grace.

Psalm 86:15 reminds us of this –

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

He is a God who doesn’t look at us through our failures, he looks at us with love.

And those imperfections that trip us up?  They serve their purpose. 

Because without our constant need to turn back for more grace, we wouldn’t need a Savior at all. 

Look at 2 Corinthians 12:9a –

Each time he said to me, ”My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

This being so, rather than frustration with the things we can’t seem to get right, perhaps we should embrace our challenges as stepping stones that lead us closer to the Father.

Opportunities for God to show his mercy and power yet again.

Let me encourage you with this, from Ephesians 1:4 –

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

It’s good to remember that though we are imperfect on this side of heaven, this isn’t how God sees us.  We were made for something more, and we are, in his eyes, loved, chosen, holy, and perfect. 

So as you strive to reflect Jesus in the choices you make, give yourself a little break when you don’t get it right. 

Then tell yourself again:  MY failure upon failure, HIS grace upon grace.

He Says:

My daughter, you are lovely before me. I adore everything about you. I made you just as I wanted you to be, unique and lovely in the way I designed you. Use your gifts to honor me. Use your time to worship me. Seek to know me more, that you may adore me as I adore you. I have always seen perfection in you, as this is how I created you. One day you will stand before me in the fullness of that perfection. Look forward to that day with anticipation and joy! — (“He Says” passages are excerpts taken from my personal prayer journal.  These are things God has spoken to me directly, and my prayer is that he will use them to speak to you).  

NOTE:  I previously blogged about a day when I didn’t so much look like Jesus; it’s one of those moments I’m not very proud of.  But I wrote about it because the way I was treated in return was God’s grace at its best.  And I’m including it here because it is a living example of what this post is about, Here’s the link: When I Don’t Deserve It.

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