Micah 7:18-20
“ Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.”
It’s a good thing that God is merciful and forgiving. Because we humans are quite the mess!
While we are easily angered and cling to old wounds with a white-knuckled grip, God does the opposite. He never fails to have compassion on His children. So easily we can project our humanity on God and forget that He loves us perfectly. Perfectly! He holds no grudges. He forgives and loves without reservation. He adores us in all of our failings and holds our fickle hearts with a steadfast care we will never be able to replicate. He finds joy in being near us — even when we forget He’s there.
Our earthly relationships are just that. Earthly. They are broken and dirty and far from perfect. As a recovering idealist/perfectionist, I struggle with this. I desire perfect unity and harmony so badly with my friends and family and even strangers. However, this is generally not what reality offers. As I grow nearer to the Lord, I find more and more that this imperfection is actually okay. Why? Because right now we are in the battlegrounds of our earthly days. These are the years when we master faith and love and hope. And relationships with humans teach us some of the most difficult and most valuable lessons.
In addition to that, I’ve realized that Christ has to be the lens through which I see all of my relationships. While people may fail us… God never will. And He’s always there for us. Waiting for us to bury ourselves in his embrace and trust Him fully. When we stop depending on humans to fulfill what only God can, then we can love people where they’re at. Instead of counting on those nearest to you to respond perfectly to your emotional needs (because they just won’t be able to), bring your heart to your Heavenly Father. He will never break it.
Perhaps let us respond with more compassion to our fellow humans as we flail about (most of us without any clue as to what we’re doing) here on the battlefield.
Take and Victory and a Blessing, brave Knights and Knightesses of the King!
Alina