Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: Christ didn’t, and doesn’t wait for us to get ready…..God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:6-8 The Message
Scott began our week with his own version of stinking thinking – believing that if he could muster up a way to be useful to God, then God should provide him with stuff to make his journey easy. When that hasn’t happened, Scott’s had to reconsider his belief system.
Let’s conclude this week with the rest of Jonalyn Fincher’s essay called, “The State of My Soul,” found in the book Unchristian, pp. 203-204.
“It was the first time someone took time to notice the person behind my judgmental words. He saw the state of my soul. He swallowed his own pain long enough to see that there was something self-destructive eating me. To get anything done right, to be holy, to stay pure, to walk the straight and narrow, I condemned myself into obedience. These were my inner demons:
‘If you don’t finish that, who do you think will?’
‘That wouldn’t have happened if you had only worked harder.’
‘That’s what you get when you don’t do it right the first time.’
‘You deserve what you get.’
I was an expert at emotional self-flagellation.
I think many of the judgmental people we know are trembling, guilty, sick. I was. I couldn’t extend grace because my own reserve was so low. What did I know of grace? Sure, it was my middle name, but I didn’t really need it. It was for those other people who slip up all the time. Dale taught me that we cannot give out something we’ve never received.
Dale was the first person who saw my mess and refused to demand an instant cleanup party. He saw where I was. And he still married me, not to rescue me, but to join me in this journey into abundant life.”
That’s a good story. So whether you’re thinking you’ve been good, and deserve a reward or you’re afraid you can never be quite good enough – here’s the good news: God loves you because he’s good at that, and he always has enough love to spread around.
You have completed three hundred fifteen days of a yearlong daily devotional pilgrimage. Keep truckin’!
Recommended reading: Ezekiel 23 and Psalm 83 in the morning; Hebrews 10 and Psalm 84 in the evening
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