Aug 9 Fake or Mistake?

Affirmation: I look in the mirror and I love who I see and so does God. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not die, but will have eternal life. John 3:16

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Ponder these verses and talk to God about what you need or dream about. Listen for His response. Carry these verses with you this week. God is with you. Personalize this prayer by changing the pronouns to “I” and “me” and truly talk to God and listen.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

                             AUGUST 9 

JESUS WAS A LOT MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE WHO FAKED IT THAN THE ONES WHO BLEW IT. 

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. MATTHEW 23:27 

Anyone who’s ever raised a teenager, worked with a teenager, or been a teenager knows they tend to have some loose definitions or leaky memories when it comes to telling the whole truth. 

They’re in the stretch of life when they start to feel independent. They can form some of their own opinions about the world. They can drive and get into mischief without adults scrutinizing their every move. They learn how to shade the truth because telling the whole truth might ruin the gig. 

As adults, we’d always rather our kids told the actual truth rather than several different versions of it. If they messed up, we want them to just get it out there and receive a little grace. 

Lies build walls that make it harder for love to get through. The reason is simple. People can’t receive our love if they think we don’t see them for who they really are. The walls our lies create keep us from knowing the people around us are over the moon about us when we blow it just as much as when we get it right. 

God feels the same way about us. Jesus was a lot more concerned about people who faked it than He was about the ones who blew it. His response to the ones who acted like they had it all together was to give them a wide berth. He engaged with compassion the people who got real with their mess-ups. And it seemed like everyone around Jesus messed up. 

This wasn’t a coincidence. He seeks out people like you and me who can understand the truth about our absolute need for Him. He wanted people to know He saw them, and there was nothing they could do to make Him love them more. When they messed up, He wanted them to know He loved them in their failure and would be with them in their future. We all get it wrong sometimes. Don’t go into hiding just because you blew it. Keep it real. Let Jesus enter into your failure with you and watch what happens. 

What would it look like for you to fully come out of hiding and own who you really are?

Extra;

Wholehearted Guidepost 2

from Brené Brown (Gifts of Imperfection)

Cultivate Self-Compassion. Let go of Perfectionism 

“Do not do unto yourself what you would not do unto others.” Be kind to yourself. Know you’re human like everyone else. And accept what you’re feeling without judgment.

Pay attention to when your perfectionist tendencies kick in. Choose instead to be an optimalist. This means maintaining sincere effort on the things you can control while embracing the constraints of reality. If it’s out of your control, it’s not worth your energy.

Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

#2 The Guided Decision 

I will seek wisdom

In order to gain perspective and see clearly…seek insight and wisdom.