Oh beloved friends, do you ever just have those days when you know, you just KNOW at the very core of your being, that God would be completely just in simply smiting you in judgment for your lack of faith and disobedience? I do. And today is one of those days.
Sometimes I just cannot seem to make the connection between my time alone with God and every other moment of my life. I compartmentalize. I leave my time of focusing on God's presence, rapidly forgetting that He goes with me. Without even making a conscious choice about it, I immediately go into "image maintenance" mode. I tell others through the way that I present myself that I am strong and have everything together. I am the image of godliness. Then a trial or temptation comes along and my externally good image crubbles, revealing the ugliness of the flesh and this soul's great need for the daily redemption and continued sanctification of Jesus. People around me are gossiping, and I join in. Others are complaining and I add my own frustrations into the mix. I want to justify my actions so I exaggerate the truth of a situation or lie about it entirely. It appears that I have something in common with the whitewashed tombs Jesus referred to. (Matthew 23:27)
I used to think that I had it all together. It turns out appearances are deceiving. I may be better at hiding it, but I am minute-by-minute in desperate need of Jesus. Despite my attempts to look healthy, I am one of the sick that Jesus came for. The truth is, we all are- sick with sin that is. Some of us just take a little longer to realize how desperately ill we are.
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)
1 comment:
Oh how true, dear friend!
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