We All Fall Short

We all fail. We all fall down. We all fall short, desperately short, from deserving God's mercy and blessings.

But that is the great thing about our God. He sent His son Jesus to bridge that gap. Allowed Him to die on the cross to make up for where we are weak. Where the sin is blackening our lives. Even though we don't deserve it, God's love and mercy is there waiting for us to acknowledge it.

As Christian's, especially young christians, you tend to believe following Christ is all rainbows and butterflies. Love, mercy, and blessings. God is love, afterall. Then life happens. A muffler falls off your car. Or you fail a class. Or maybe you simply have a really cruddy day. And you feel the Son's light shining a little less. You face miscarriage after miscarriage, and bitterness creaps into your heart. As you wonder why us? Why me God? Can't ONE thing in my life go EASY for ONCE?!

Then there is Job.

He lost his children. His herds and flocks. And His wife doesn't stand behind him. His health falters. But never his faith. Never once does he curse God. Not once does he lose his sight on God.

I got told one day by a dear friend that in the midst of the craziness of our infertility I was like a female version of Job. And while I wish I could own that, it hasn't been true. Because I did question my faith. I was so bitter. Angry. I fell short.

The same week I got told by another friend that I was one that life couldn't ruin. And it made me cry. Because some times I do feel so flawed. So broken. But also I feel blessed to be the woman God has helped shape me to be. So thankful that during my childhood he was there even before I knew him. That he protected me when I denied his existance.

Because friends...I can tell you in my life just as God was there protecting me I have no doubt that Satan's armys were right there trying to deconstruct the foundations of what Christ had built in me.

I hear songs like "Beauty from Pain" by Barlow Girl, or "Waiting Room" by Johny Dias, or "Waiting Here for You" and it brings me back to the pain I felt as I poured my heart out to God during the midst of our loses. And it reminds me of not only how short I truly fall most of the times. But also how blessed we are to go through those struggles. That God saw us fit enough to wade through those dark times and know that we would still choose him.

I bought a book by Roy Lessin on my walk to Emmaus, titled Today is Your Best Day. I love this quote.

"You may be going through a very difficult time today, but that does not mean this is your worst day. God will use the difficulty to produce precious things within you that you will treasure in days to come. There may be pressures in your day, but God uses pressure to form diamonds. There may be a fiery trial in your day, but God uses fire to purify gold. There may an irritant in your day, but God uses irritants to create pearls. If you are in need of comfort today, God will bring His comfort to you, and the comfort you receive will help you comfort someone tomorrow."

The pressures in our lives created a diamond, his name is Matthew.
The fiery trials in our lives created a purification, of our hearts towards God and each other.
The irritants in our lives created pearls, called true intimacy.
The comforts we have received from God, have been used already to comfort others. As I am sure they will continue.

And we are so blessed. Not by this world's standards. But by God's. And we all know this world falls desperately short of the glory of God.