....................................................................................................................................................
God
Turns Your Mess into a Message
Jesus steps into our
weakness and brings His strength.
by Susanna
Foth Aughtmon
“You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, LORD; listen to my
cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.” Psalm 86:5–7 (NIV)
I need
forgiveness and mercy daily. This is because I make mistakes regularly.
Being a
mom of three boys tends to exacerbate the problem. Any time you are living in
close proximity with others, they will get to experience your weaknesses
firsthand.
When I am
stressed out with deadlines or bill payments or a lack of sleep, my weaknesses
seem to grow. I get frustrated more easily. My perfectionism and pride come
bubbling up.
This
week, I have had to apologize repeatedly to my children as my emotions have
gotten the better of me. Yesterday when I said I would try to do better and
not yell at you, I meant it. Right up until that time that I yelled at you
today. Can you forgive me... again?
Forgiveness
and mercy are an integral part of following Jesus. Our lives are a process of
coming undone and Jesus putting us back together.
We won’t
get it right every day. But we can learn from our mistakes.
We may be
a mess, but if we can offer that mess to the One Who loves us the most, He can
begin to heal our brokenness.
He loves
us and tells us that, even though we are a mess, He is not leaving us that way.
He has a plan.
A way to
bring us closer to Him. He steps into our weakness and brings His strength.
He offers
mercy and forgiveness and reminds us who we are in Him. New creations . . .
being transformed into His likeness and image a little more every day.
Faith
Step: Write your most recent “mess” on a piece of
paper. Offer it to Jesus. Now erase it and, in its place, write, “Jesus
forgives me and offers me mercy.”
Susanna Foth Aughtmon
Author and speaker Susanna Foth Aughtmon is
the mother of three and the wife of Scott, the lead pastor of Pathway Church,
in Redwood City, California. Using humor, authenticity, and the truth of
scripture, she connects with her readers through her many books including, I
Blame Eve: Freedom from Perfectionism, Control Issues and the Tendency to
Listen to Talking Snakes.
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