Picture Perfect World

 

It's too bad that a picture-perfect world only exists in our imaginations. Of course, we have movies, TV, and books where we can enjoy that perfect world in our minds, even if it is only temporarily. Don't we love stories where the good guys always win, the girl finds the love of her life, and daddies always come home? Too bad life doesn't always play out in a "they lived happily ever after" scenario, right?

One thing I love about the Bible is the stories tell us just how it happened. There's no sugarcoating or smoothing things over. The writers, inspired by God, didn't try to make our heroes out to be perfect. We have the stories and the characters just as they were in real life. Those of us who live in picture-imperfect worlds need to see the blunt realities the Bible portrays. We need to see how God's grace carried them through, even when they messed up - and boy, did they! It's okay  - I mess up too.

As my thoughts ran through so many of my favorite Bible stories, they landed on Samson. God called Samson before he was born; that's a pattern we see throughout the Bible. Later on, Samson totally messed up. He blatantly followed a path that God and his parents had forbidden. He ended up in the lap of the seductress, Delilah. Samson lost it all. He lost God's gift of strength, his dignity, his freedom, and his eyesight. He lived the rest of his life in chains and didn't even get the woman in the end. (I wonder if Delilah ever repented...)

But when you look at the Believer's Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, guess who's there!! Samson! He purposefully chose disobedience, yet God still fulfilled His promise to and through Samson. God still used him, and he was listed among the fathers of our faith. Doesn't that just blow your mind? 

I mess up sometimes, too. But it's generally not because I disobeyed on purpose. It's usually because I'm impatient or just dumb. Lol. As caregivers, we live in a less-than-picture-perfect world - not because we sinned, not due to anything that is our fault. So, I'm pretty sure that God can walk into our less-than-perfect worlds and extend His grace and mercy to us too. If He redeemed the likes of Jonah and Samson - He's got His eye on us, and He's got our backs too!

Today, I'm determined to get over myself and my situation and look past my glaring faults and blemished soul and gaze at His grace instead. I'll remind myself of how God always "gets His man" (or woman), and He has come after me and you too! My meditations will be on the constant presence of His grace - enough for today. Enough for this week. Enough to carry us through these caregiving days. And I'll choose to trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

                                                                                                                                           

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