There are some things that I was taught as a Christian that I don’t think are true. I think they actually hinder being a disciple of Jesus and miss the mark in regards to love and grace. One of the things that I have been taught to believe is that I don’t deserve God’s love. I think this is a common teaching meant to inspire humility, but I think in many cases it just feeds into a shame cycle.
Continue reading “Undeserved Love?”Tag: love
Looking Out the Well
Silence as a writer builds up. As it builds up, its paralyzing. The last two years have made it worse. Even though I felt things welling up inside me to write, I stayed silent. I was scared, and there were voices that were already saying what I was feeling. So, I figured I didn’t need to just be another voice. I could just listen and be encouraged that someone else was stepping up to the plate. In some ways, I was content to watch from the sidelines. However, I still felt like my silence was somehow wrong.
Continue reading “Looking Out the Well”Those Darn Dandelions
Last Sunday, I was pulling some dandelions out from a small garden area we have under a maple tree in our front yard. I wasn’t planning on this as I just wanted to have the first mow of Spring. However, mowing didn’t take long and my wife was weed eating. So, I got down on my hands and knees with the “weed digger” and started picking.
Continue reading “Those Darn Dandelions”God, Grant Me Serenity – Trust and Surrender
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
What is God’s will for my life? This is an extremely popular, or maybe infamous, question in the life of someone trying to follow God. Does God want me to take this job? Does He want me to date this person? What if I do the wrong thing?
Continue reading “God, Grant Me Serenity – Trust and Surrender”
Another Start
The beginning of the new year often brings resolutions. There also can be shame from all of the things left undone from the previous year. Maybe it’s not undone things, but maybe the shame is associated with things we wished would have went better. Maybe we completely blew it when it comes to our relationships, and as we moved through the holiday season there was that unrelenting knot in our stomachs.
The Good Work
There are parts in the Bible that seem to contradict themselves if you take them on a surface level. One of the passages I’ve always struggled with is this passage in James-
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:17 NIV
The Beloved Child of God
God loves me in spite of my sin. I am a failure, but God loves me anyway.
This statement reflects what I believe most of the time. God loves me despite my selfish heart. He loves me even though my actions clearly show that I don’t love Him, sometimes. Even though I wander, God loves me.
The statement that is a little harder to swallow is:
God loves me.
More specifically:
God loves me for who I am.
musingsonlife 