Don't Play It Again Sam!

More of You less of me Lord.  John 3:30

Do you ever get stuck in one of those funks where you become painfully aware of a weakness or failure in your life?  Sometimes it’s hard to work past isn’t it!  It seems that when Christ invites me to get a little closer to Him and deepen our relationship, a glaring flaw or weakness comes to light and I launch a full scale war against myself.   When I contemplate my sinfulness I get frustrated because I seem to repeat the same offenses again and again. I suppose it’s all a part of our human sinfulness but I sure hope I’m not the only one in this boat!

My greatest weakness and failure can be clearly seen in the space between my shoulders and my knees!  I realize without a doubt that I am perfectly and fearfully made but I do wish I didn’t struggle so much with trying not to inflate the size and shape of the original perfectly and fearfully made model.  I hesitate to complain about my struggle because there are so many faithful, amazing people tackling struggles so complicated and difficult that I feel I have no right to fuss!  I suppose we all have a weakness or failure that we battle.  Some days those burdens are easier to bear than others.  I know these struggles are God’s strongest beckoning to our heart but my response needs work. Some days as He gives me the opportunities to steer toward “more of Him and less of me” I’m clearly like a toddler with my eyes closed and my hands covering my ears yelling la-la-la-la! I was having a particularly rough day yesterday when out of the blue, I saw this quote from St. John Paul II.   They were the perfect words for the day!

We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failure; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son.

That’s all I needed to hear because I realize my weakness and failure are what should draw me to Him because I can’t rise above them without His divine grace and power.  As I learn to submit them to Him, that is exactly how His love can transform me closer to the image of His Son.   So for all of you, who  like me struggle with shortcomings, maybe we can stop today and see them as the gift that will bring us closer and that vision just might bring the strength and hope to stop hitting the repeat button!

A Seed To Plant:  Put this quote somewhere where you can see it often and ask God to show you how to live it!

Blessings on your day!