Choose Grace
Have you ever promised yourself you wouldn’t mess up, that you wouldn’t repeat the same mistake? Or felt like you’re better than the way you’re behaving in the moment? You envision the person you want to be, but your weaknesses sometimes make you feel like you’re the complete opposite.
I think back to the apostle Peter. He said he would never deny the Christ. He knew what kind of disciple He was going to be His whole life.
Until he did deny Christ. He wasn’t that disciple he thought he was.
He was devasted and felt terrible. He probably couldn’t understand how he could have let himself mess up when all he wanted to do was please our Savior.
Life is hard. We weren’t meant to come here and be perfect. We are here to make mistakes, mess up, try again and come away stronger. And so are those around you. I was once wondering how God can love us so much and still respect our ability to make choices. I got two answers.
- God is expecting our mistakes.
God sent us here to earth knowing we were going to mess up. He knew what He was doing when He sent us here. He wants us to grow, learn and become, so He sent His Son to give us the best gift ever. The ATONEMENT! He died, so we never have to fear messing up. We can try our hardest and know that if we fall short, it is okay. Because with Jesus, we can never truly miss the mark. He makes it up with his grace if our hearts are in the right place.
2. God sees us not for our mistakes, but for who we can become.
God knows who you can become. He knows what you are capable of achieving. If we repent with real intent, he doesn’t see the mistakes, he sees YOU.
Peter left that experience with a greater conviction than he ever had before because he felt the pain that causes change.
His faith grew because of the lessons he learned.
He shared that testimony and faith with everyone he saw. He knew who he was as a disciple of Christ.
We can do the same.
Try your very hardest, and then expect failures along the way. Expect to fall short. Expect to rely on your Savior when you fall and come back even stronger. See yourself for who you are becoming rather than who you are now. And see those closest to you that way too.
With LOVE,
Cami Grace Bliss
