Highs and Lows

Life is a series of ebbs and flows. I woke up and received some news that really made my day! A friend and I were going to connect today and just spend some one on one time hanging out and fellowshipping. This friend is fairly new, but there is just "something" there that lets you know that the two paths were destined to cross for some reason. At any rate, as the day progressed, a comedy of errors ensued and, in the end, we never got a chance to connect. I really had looked forward to this meeting, so I was very disappointed when the opportunity to meet was lost for today. Sure, meetings get canceled, people forget, life gets hectic. As a result, plans change. It happens all the time. Why did this feel so different for me? Then I realized what had happened. It was that word disappointment. It signifies an emotion that I allowed to rule my life for a long time.

For many years, I kept myself guarded against others. Actually, I had set up a series of almost insurmountable walls around myself to keep others out of that very personal space within me where I was laid bare. The flaws and all would show, and I feared that people would use that knowledge against me and wound me. I somehow convinced myself to believe that it was just easier to keep people out altogether than to give someone an opportunity to disappoint- and possibly reject- me.

I am so happy that God does not think like that. How many times have we missed the mark, made mistakes, failed to show up for appointments, or just ignored Him altogether? Yet in the midst of our mess ups, He recognizes us as the broken creatures we really are and forgives us. Then He waits patiently for us to return to Him so that He may join us in fellowship. As unworthy as we are-and we are truly unworthy- He loves us where we are and accepts us just as we are. Flaws and all, He looks at us in our human condition, yet sees us perfected in Him.