They're not out there killing it

I messed up. I di it again. How is it that I just can’t get this thing right?  How many times has that gone through your mind? If I’m honest, It goes through my mind a lot. I immediately recall the people I look up to and think, how are they out there killing it at this life thing and I’m  here starting over? 

 Well, they’re probably not.  But they do have a secret weapon you may not know about.  They understand mercy and grace. As Paul starts this conversation in Romans 7:15, I do not understand my own actions. I do the things I don’t want to do…, He’s been there. The bottom line. We are human. It takes a few mess ups.

When I think of this I remember my son’s experience when he was about three years old. We live on a farm so we have electric fence dividing the farm from the house and yard to keep the cows where they belong.  Since he could walk, I have told him; “Don’t touch the fence, it will hurt you.”  We couldn’t move the fence to keep him from getting hurt, he just had to learn not to touch it. As you can probably guess, a 3 year told not to do something is like telling a gorilla not to eat the banana. He touches the fence. He yells and cries. I go over to him, pick him up, hold him and point to the fence.  I gently tell him, “this fence will hurt you.”  I put him down anticipating that now he knows.  The next day I hear a little scream then a cry.  I look around the corner where he was playing with his trucks. He touched the fence again. I knew what he was thinking. The fence on one side of the yard hurt me, but maybe this side won’t. So I repeat my drill. I pick him up. Tell him its ok. Point to the fence. This fence will hurt you.  There. That ought to do it. Two days later. We are out in the front of the house and he is standing by the fence watching his dad feed the cows. He grabs the fence. Scream. Cry. Pick up. Point to fence. Put child down. I think he finally got it.  It took three times for him to realize that the fence behind the yard, side of the yard and the front yard are all the same fence.

No one gets everything right the first time. Trial and error. Just remember that in between the trials, we have a loving Father who picks us up, wipes our tears, gently reminds us that this is not what is good for you then puts us down to learn again. Mercy. Grace.

The call to action for today. As you realize the mercy and grace that is given to you, extend this to others around you. We are all human, in this together and sometimes just need a gentle reminder from others that its OK not to be perfect. Do-overs are a thing.