Last Friday was the very first day that I didn't publish a post. I forgot, actually. I had just gotten some really overwhelming, really sad news, and I simply forgot.
When I realized that I hadn't published my post like I had intended to, I was devastated. I felt like I had dropped the ball on something that was so important to me, and although it wasn't that big of a deal, I was so disappointed in myself. As I was talking to my mom about how this made me feel, she reminded me to give grace to myself. But that seemed so bizarre to me.
Before I had even realized it, I had begun expecting for myself to thrive and succeed in every single responsibility that I take on. Even when I would write out my "top 3" priorities for the season, I would desire perfection. I thought that if I only focused on a few things, then those few things should be flawless.
The blog was one of those things that I wanted so badly to be flawless. And when I missed that post, I felt like I had failed one of the few things that I wanted to do well at. And apparently, anything short of perfection wasn't good enough.
So that reminder to give myself grace was so very needed. In reality, I don't need to have it all together, be on top of it all, or have everything figured out. The blog, my prayer life, my Bible study, my relationships, none of those areas of my life have to be perfect.
God never asks us to be perfect, but you know what He does ask of us? He asks us to be like Jesus.
Perfection is not the standard, Jesus is.
And that sounds so backwards, because Jesus is perfect, but there is so much freedom in simply learning to walk like Jesus. There's peace in the journey to learn how to love like Jesus, how to forgive like Jesus, how to obey like Jesus. There's never any expectation to be perfect, to never mess up, to never sin, but instead to continually learn, repent, and
grow. It's a process, full of highs and lows, full of successes and failures, but the whole point of it is to dig deeper into Jesus and know Him more intimately so that we may, in turn, live our lives in a way that reflects His character.
We aren't called to become Jesus, we're called to become like Jesus. Our lives should reflect Jesus, but we can't actually be Jesus, because we could never ever become God. And I believe that gives us so much more room to grow instead of striving to become something we can truly never become.
This means that the blog doesn't need to be perfect, but it should share the truth about who Jesus is and who He calls us to be. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be authentic. My prayer doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be a genuine expression of the struggles going on in my life and a discipline that I practice to draw near to the Lord. My Bible study doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be consistent and intimate, a daily connection with the Father. My relationships don't need to be perfect, but they should be a reflection of the love and grace that God gives us.
Friend, when you are committed to Jesus, He pours grace upon grace over you. You don't have to reach perfection, because He already sees you as pure, clean, and holy because He has washed you clean in His blood. You don't have to reach perfection, because He uses our weakness and imperfection to create something beyond beautiful. You don't have to reach perfection, because Christ accepts and loves you as you are. You don't have to reach perfection, because the God of the universe declares that you are a masterpiece, a work of art.
There is grace upon grace for you. Christ desires to cover you in it, if you accept His offer. He desires to take the burden of perfection and teach you to walk in His peace, joy, and freedom, if you allow Him. Surrender it all to the Father, with your hands open wide, and watch how He revives your heart.
I'm learning in an incredibly real way that our Father covers us in His grace. We fall short every single day, yet He promises us to meet us in that place and lift us up so that we may walk in communion with Him. The God we serve is so incredibly good, and because of His love and mercy, we don't have to strive for perfection anymore. Because of His blood, we are made new, declared forgiven and holy, and our value is cemented in His sacrifice. Praise Jesus for that!
How has God been showing His amazing grace to you lately? How has that transformed you? Let me know down in the comments below!
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