Perfection. That’s a struggle I know so well of. I’ve made mistakes before and did things that I shouldn’t have done. Every so often I’d wake up feeling guilty and condemned, wondering why I was still struggling with the same issues. Sometimes I’d think that I really couldn’t get things right, how could God love me and bless me with all my imperfections? I thought that once I overcame my weaknesses, only then could I have favor from God. I limited the possibilities of my God, like he could only bless me if I was perfect. I was wrong.
As I was doing my daily devotion the other day, I read a verse in the Bible that mentioned how God’s eyes search the earth and how He shows Himself strong to those who are committed to Him. Right then I realized that He is not looking for those who behave perfectly and make no mistakes. He is looking for those who genuinely want to please Him despite the mistakes that they make or have made. That deep down, despite everything, they want to truly honor Him with their lives. That He is more pleased with those who sometimes make mistakes but have the right heart, than those who always perform perfectly but have the wrong heart.
The Pharisees, for example, did everything right; they prayed, tithed and performed religious ceremonies like they were required to. Even after doing all these things, God compared them to tombs, which were kept clean on the outside but were full of dead bones and unclean things on the inside. They were hypocrites and full of wickedness and their hearts were not right with God. On the other hand, while he was choosing His disciples, he did not go for people who had it all together, He chose people who had weaknesses and flaws, but when he had handpicked them all, he told them that He had chosen them not because they were perfect, but because their hearts were turned towards Him.
The thing about God is that he sees what others cannot see; He sees the heart while others concentrate on the behavior and performance. We might not have it all together, we might need a change of attitude or an improvement of our character but as long as our hearts are sincere and right with God, He is willing to show Himself strong in our lives and mold us to become better persons. If God can accept me with my flaws, as long as my heart is committed to Him, I think it’s only fair that I accept myself with my weaknesses and seek Him daily as I allow him to change me.
For the longest time I have let the enemy convince me how I don’t deserve God’s favor and blessings by always reminding me of my struggles and mistakes, essentially trying to keep me away from my destiny, forgetting that God already put a mark of approval on me when He created me. I have to stop remembering what God has forgiven and forgotten. I have to stop listening to the enemy accusing me of everything that I am not. The Bible says that I should put on God’s approval as my breastplate, this way, every chain of condemnation, guilt, disapproval, inferiority and low self-esteem are broken. When you know that you are approved by God, there’s a kind of feeling of freedom that comes with it.
I understand that in this process, there will be moments of self-doubt, not everything will be perfect all the time, but I also understand that I am an unfinished product. God is the porter and He is still molding me every day taking me from one phase of glory to another. I can either choose to sulk and beat myself up for the mistakes I have done or will do, or choose to accept that I am not perfect and focus my heart on Him instead as I let Him take care of my struggles and weaknesses.
I thank God that He has approved me, that He is not a fault-finder, that He is full of mercy and shows us favor when we least deserve it. If He saw straight through the heart of the woman with the alabaster box and forgave her, then I am not far from restoration and healing. His grace is sufficient for us all, and for that, I am grateful!
I Am Bush_Locked 🙂
I Am Bush_Locked 