Thursday, March 3, 2011

You might need this.

You're not perfect. And neither is anyone else. Remember that.

One definition of perfection is freedom from fault or defect. In only one case does that apply-Jesus. He is faultless and without defect, but every one of us has many, many issues. You can see them in the way we think, talk, look, and act. For our humanity, perfection is not freedom at all. It's actually slavery. Chains that we put in place because we are afraid of failure and striving to be perfect. Do you understand that it's NOT POSSIBLE. You can not handle everything on your own, and so many things are completely out of your hands. They're in His hands, so let Him take care of them. I'm pretty sure He can do a much better job dealing with them than you could ever imagine. Wouldn't you rather have challenges to figure out, differences of opinions, and varieties of faces to look at every day? Don't they make life a little more interesting? Shape your character more than just hearing someone tell you about it? You are learning every day-learning more about yourself and others, and how wonderful that you even have that ability! You will never have enough hours in your day, or the opportunity to please as many people as you would like. If you lack enemies, you lack character. If you didn't have so many obligations, you would be lazy. Why not spend each and every day giving and giving and giving until you have nothing left, instead of wasting your energy and time and love doing nothing? You are blessed. You have character and quality and drive. Don't ever think your efforts are worthless. They will be rewarded. And even if you feel like you can't do any more, I promise you can. I believe in you. He is sustaining you with every breath, causing reactions in your body to function at just the right rate, providing water to plants in China and holding the world between His fingertips at the same time; don't you think He can handle all these insignificant annoyances that you just can't shake off? Give them to Him. And give yourself a break.

"Because Jesus says to you, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in [your] weakness.' Therefore you should boast all the more gladly about your weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on Him. That is why, for Christ's sake, you should take delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when you are weak, then you are strong." -2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (MPIV-Mechay's Paraphrased International Version :))