In His eyes, we can and will never fail
I was watching This is Us last night (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOST RECENT EPISODE. Don't say I didn't warn you), and in the last scene of the episode Kate and Toby were finally coming together and talking about the terrible tragedy that had occurred. This conversation had only come about after Kate was unexpectedly visited by her mother. You have to understand, too, that Kate and Rebecca had had somewhat of a strained relationship...until then. Anyway, Kate and Toby are talking and Kate says, "I feel like I failed you."
Toby's response? "You didn't. You never could."
Y'all, I. Lost. It.
As I was winding down for bed maybe an hour or so later, I was thinking about those words, and how it reflects both the love I have for those in my life, and the love that our God has for us, His children. What a beautiful thing to say! As someone who has recently been struggling with self-doubt in regards to how I love people, namely my fiance, it was a timely response and a balm to the inner cry of my heart: Am I constantly failing God and the love of my life in the ways that I act in love?
The wedding is quickly approaching, and I can say with full confidence that I love my husband-to-be more deeply and unconditionally now than even just a few months ago. We have grown a lot as a couple and as individuals as we've planned our wedding and gone through counseling and other life things. He is a wonderful blessing in my life; he has a big heart, steadfast loyalty to his friends and his work, and extraordinary integrity in the ways he conducts himself as a man, a friend, a son, a follower of Christ, and my soon-to-be husband. I am so proud of him and who he has become. But he is not perfect. Despite his shortcomings, he will never, ever fail me. He may make that apology to me sometime in our married life, and I will respond with this truth: He will never fail me.
This goes for ALL of my loved ones: You will never fail me.
God sees us the same way. But oh, how so quickly we forget this beautiful truth. At least I do. More times than I care to admit.
How many times have we, in the midst of beating ourselves up over something, over our own bitter disappointment in ourselves, in deep shame and guilt, gone to God and, barely even being able to look up, cried to Him, "I failed you, I feel like I failed you. How could you forgive me? How could you love a train wreck like me?"
God's response: "You didn't fail me. You never could."
That is the Gospel! But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sin, he gave us life...It is only by God's grace that you have been saved! (Ephesians 5:4-5)
Much like how we don't desire for us to believe that we are failures in the eyes of our loved ones, God certainly does not desire that for us as well. He wants us to know that we are loved, chosen, and special- all unconditionally and wrapped in His amazing grace. In His eyes, we can and will never fail. He knows that we will struggle because of our earthly flesh and earthly desires and sinful nature, but He will and does welcome us back each time.
At the end of the episode Toby and Kate are holding each other, and she looks in his eyes and says, "We will not let this break us." We can't let our sin and our shortcomings dampen our spirits or get us down. Easier said than done, I know. Preaching to myself here. Our Heavenly Father loves us so, so much. Trust it, receive it, and believe it, that we can't fail Him. Let's stand strong in Him and in His love and in the love of those we hold close, and let's not be broken. We are LOVED.
Toby's response? "You didn't. You never could."
Y'all, I. Lost. It.
As I was winding down for bed maybe an hour or so later, I was thinking about those words, and how it reflects both the love I have for those in my life, and the love that our God has for us, His children. What a beautiful thing to say! As someone who has recently been struggling with self-doubt in regards to how I love people, namely my fiance, it was a timely response and a balm to the inner cry of my heart: Am I constantly failing God and the love of my life in the ways that I act in love?
The wedding is quickly approaching, and I can say with full confidence that I love my husband-to-be more deeply and unconditionally now than even just a few months ago. We have grown a lot as a couple and as individuals as we've planned our wedding and gone through counseling and other life things. He is a wonderful blessing in my life; he has a big heart, steadfast loyalty to his friends and his work, and extraordinary integrity in the ways he conducts himself as a man, a friend, a son, a follower of Christ, and my soon-to-be husband. I am so proud of him and who he has become. But he is not perfect. Despite his shortcomings, he will never, ever fail me. He may make that apology to me sometime in our married life, and I will respond with this truth: He will never fail me.
This goes for ALL of my loved ones: You will never fail me.
God sees us the same way. But oh, how so quickly we forget this beautiful truth. At least I do. More times than I care to admit.
How many times have we, in the midst of beating ourselves up over something, over our own bitter disappointment in ourselves, in deep shame and guilt, gone to God and, barely even being able to look up, cried to Him, "I failed you, I feel like I failed you. How could you forgive me? How could you love a train wreck like me?"
God's response: "You didn't fail me. You never could."
That is the Gospel! But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sin, he gave us life...It is only by God's grace that you have been saved! (Ephesians 5:4-5)
Much like how we don't desire for us to believe that we are failures in the eyes of our loved ones, God certainly does not desire that for us as well. He wants us to know that we are loved, chosen, and special- all unconditionally and wrapped in His amazing grace. In His eyes, we can and will never fail. He knows that we will struggle because of our earthly flesh and earthly desires and sinful nature, but He will and does welcome us back each time.
At the end of the episode Toby and Kate are holding each other, and she looks in his eyes and says, "We will not let this break us." We can't let our sin and our shortcomings dampen our spirits or get us down. Easier said than done, I know. Preaching to myself here. Our Heavenly Father loves us so, so much. Trust it, receive it, and believe it, that we can't fail Him. Let's stand strong in Him and in His love and in the love of those we hold close, and let's not be broken. We are LOVED.
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