Your Failures and God’s Grace

I blew it yesterday. Not once. Not twice. But three times. If I’d been playing baseball, I would have completely struck out.

The day started out well. I went to the gym, rode 17 miles on my bike, worked on the computer, and visited a friend. By 3:00pm, though, I was tired. As I sat in carline, waiting to pick up my daughters, I prayed about my attitude. “God, you know I’m worn out. Please help me to be patient with the girls, despite how I feel.”

The first five minutes went well. I asked Isabelle and Jocelyn to tell me something good that happened at school, and we chatted about their experiences. But as soon as we started discussing homework, everything went downhill.

Isabelle got annoyed because I was asking too many questions. I got frustrated with her for being defensive. My blood pressure rose and so did my volume. By the time we pulled in the driveway, I was steaming mad.

Strike one.

My husband met us at the door with a smile on his face. “Hi, babe. How are you doing?”

“Just great,” I replied through clenched teeth. Though Justin usually greets me with a kiss when he gets home from work, he decided to steer clear. My body language and facial expression communicated that I was not in the mood for a little smoochy smoochy. Justin got the message and kept his distance. In fact, he bolted to his shed to escape the obvious tension in the room.

Strike two.

The next few hours were pretty uneventful. I calmed down. Isabelle studied for a test. Jocelyn, the peacemaker, played her guitar. Justin finally dared to reenter the house. We had a peaceful dinner.

Just when I’d almost forgotten about the events of the afternoon, I was blindsided by another wild pitch. At bedtime, Jocelyn brought me her Language Arts paper and asked if I’d look over it. Right away, I could see that she hadn’t followed directions, and many of her answers were wrong. When I told her so, Jocelyn started crying. “But I put my paper on the kitchen table so you could check it! I don’t want to redo the whole thing!” she said. “Jocelyn, you didn’t tell me about the paper, so I didn’t know. You’ll just have to get up early in the morning and correct it,” I told her.

Jocelyn kept wailing. Even after I tucked her into bed, she was still hysterical. Eventually she cried herself to sleep.

Strike three.

Do you ever have days like I did? When your poor choices lead to conflict with family or friends? When your words aren’t loving and kind but sharp and cutting? When gentleness and patience are nowhere to be found?

Mistakes cause us to struggle with bouts of sadness, regret, and self-loathing. And the Enemy loves every minute of it. He takes great pleasure in beating us down and then stomping all over us in our moments of weakness.

But that is never God’s response to us! The Lord knows we will blow it sometimes. His Word promises, “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lam. 3:22-23 NLT).

When we disobey God and hurt others, we don’t need to walk around in shame. But we do need to repent and follow this two-step process of restoration as outlined in God’s Word:

1. Confess your sin to the Lord. 
Tell God what you did wrong. Yes, He already knows, but your confession is not for Him. It’s for you.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

2. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness.
Forgive the person who offended you. If you hurt someone, humble yourself, and say, “I was wrong. Will you forgive me for _____?”

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Col. 3:13 NL).

Maybe you struck out yesterday. Or maybe your no hitter is happening today. Just remember, your failures don’t ever exclude you from God’s glorious grace. Just turn to the Lord, and let His love cover your failures.

Today when I pick up my daughters from school, I’m determined not to swing and miss. Today I’ll rely on the Lord to help me hit a home run.

{Stay informed about upcoming events, new Daniel Fast recipes, and my latest blog posts by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.}