Beyond Excuses

Nobody’s perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. If you look at anything close enough, you are sure to find a few flaws. Even the aluminum housing of each new Apple iPhone 5 is photographed by two high-powered 29 mega-pixel cameras to determine which of the 725 unique glass inlays on the assembly line at that point is the most precise match for every single iPhone.

Even though nearly everyone would agree that perfection is rare—if it can be found at all; that doesn’t keep most of us from expecting it. We assume the server will bring the meal we ordered. We anticipate the product we purchased will perform as advertised. And we imagine everything we do will turn out exactly as we intend.

But then the salad shows up with onion, the miracle gadget is not up to the task we hoped it would do, and our best efforts fall short of our lofty aspirations.

There are a lot of people who are living in this gap between their expectations and their reality. They feel like the whole world is out to get them. And they are hurt and angry and frustrated. And when they have a few moments to reflect on what they are feeling, they have to admit that the root of their deepest frustration, anger and pain is the result of their own flawed choices.

God wants what is best for us, but God knows we are not perfect; and the good news is that God forgives. Some people believe they have to get their act together before God will accept them. Other people are still working on developing a plausible excuse. More than a few think they have done something that cannot be forgiven. Almost no one believes they deserve a fresh start.

But that is what God offers every person. And God offers it to each person because of his love for them. Not because they’ve earned it. Not because they deserve it. Not because they’ve come up with a clever explanation. Just because God loves them; and wants to restore the peace, love and joy in their life.

Helping people accept God’s forgiveness is another important step in sharing your faith and helping them move through the process that leads to a transformed life.