In an age of expectations that everything will happen now and all challenges will be made easy in a flash, we are encouraged to make permanent judgments based on very narrow experiences. Decades of able and honorable business life is wiped away in a single bad experience. A life of public service and honor is forgotten in a single moment of bad judgment.
Yet every day we do things that we never thought we would do and are sorry about, or see something that needs being done but we turn our head and eyes away, or say something hurtful or impulsive or thoughtless and we expect those around us to just brush it off. Fortunately for all of us, we generally get lots of "2nd chances" in our families, business life, social connections and church family. And we often sulk or rage or whine when we are held accountable for our bad actions.
So where can we turn, whether we are "high profile" or "regular Joe" when we fail, err, sin, misstep, mess-up or generally behave like the broken, imperfect human beings that we are?
As amazing as it is to me, I have found God is in the business of redemption, rehabilitation, renewal and rebirth for eternity. He keeps His promises. He tends us, even when we are ignoring Him. He loves us even when we are running as far away from God as we can imagine. (And when we get as far from God as we think we can, we find God is already there loving us, longing for us to accept His invitation to relationship.)
God is honorable. God is reliable. God is trustworthy. God is light. God is hope. Most of all, God is Love. This has been true from forever until forever. This is true for the publicly shamed and those more privately running off the rails. This is true for pop culture idols and everyday folks. This is true for the poor and the wealthy, the powerful and the disenfranchised, the educated and the illiterate. This has been true from the beginning of time and will be for as long as there is time.
This has been the plan all along.
Isaiah 25:1b Lord...you have done wonderful things, planned long ago, faithful and sure.
Yet every day we do things that we never thought we would do and are sorry about, or see something that needs being done but we turn our head and eyes away, or say something hurtful or impulsive or thoughtless and we expect those around us to just brush it off. Fortunately for all of us, we generally get lots of "2nd chances" in our families, business life, social connections and church family. And we often sulk or rage or whine when we are held accountable for our bad actions.
So where can we turn, whether we are "high profile" or "regular Joe" when we fail, err, sin, misstep, mess-up or generally behave like the broken, imperfect human beings that we are?
As amazing as it is to me, I have found God is in the business of redemption, rehabilitation, renewal and rebirth for eternity. He keeps His promises. He tends us, even when we are ignoring Him. He loves us even when we are running as far away from God as we can imagine. (And when we get as far from God as we think we can, we find God is already there loving us, longing for us to accept His invitation to relationship.)
God is honorable. God is reliable. God is trustworthy. God is light. God is hope. Most of all, God is Love. This has been true from forever until forever. This is true for the publicly shamed and those more privately running off the rails. This is true for pop culture idols and everyday folks. This is true for the poor and the wealthy, the powerful and the disenfranchised, the educated and the illiterate. This has been true from the beginning of time and will be for as long as there is time.
This has been the plan all along.
Isaiah 25:1b Lord...you have done wonderful things, planned long ago, faithful and sure.
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