Failures

Our Sunday School discussion today gave me a different perspective on failure.

Peter denied Jesus THREE times and is "the rock" of Christianity.

David was an adulterer and murderer but was always in God's favor.

These are just two examples of people in the Bible who had huge failures but were and still are huge examples of living for Christ and loving Jesus. Jesus LOVED(/s) the failures and the ragamuffins! He shared meals with prostitutes, beggars, tax collectors, thieves, and more.

So where along the line did we as Christians start thinking we're called to be perfect? And even more important, why do we have the idea that it is up to us to "keep score" on the people around us? Where in the Bible does it show that Jesus kept score? Peter denied him three times, after Jesus told Peter he would do so and Peter swore it would never happen!! And after the fact, all Jesus had to do was LOOK at Peter for Peter to know he was forgiven!

I've spent my life trying to live failure-free. And each time I've failed, I've been sure I'm going straight to Hell. Where did that mind-set come from?!?! How did I come to have such a HUGE expectation on myself as to not EVER fail? I'm learning not only that I will most certainly fail, many more times in my life (heck, sometimes every single day! haha), but I'm also learning that on the other side of my failures, there is growth, and to almost EMBRACE my failures!! Think of life with no failures...how would I learn? How would I grow? I would be living in such a closed-minded, stifled world that I would miss out on so much LIFE! So much that God wants me to learn.

So the next time you fail, remember that on the other side is growth!! And when someone ELSE fails, instead of pointing it out to them or discussing with others how horrible that failure was, maybe think about encouraging that person and sharing their journey. Because all of us are ragamuffins. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't want to be anything else. :)

(As a side note...I'm reading "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning and that book is AMAZING!! When I'm done, don't be surprised if I share about it. Maybe some of you have read it, too, and we can discuss it when I'm finished reading it!!)