Run for God

It’s been said that the key to success is to be good at failing. In the midst of our own mistakes, failures, and even foolish rebellion against our own goals, great opportunities to change our course often present themselves. And God is interested in one thing: full restoration. He doesn’t forgive us more deeply if we first beat our heads against the wall, throw in the towel, or decide just to give up. Failure is part of the long path to success. It’s our response to failure that makes all the difference. When the apostle Peter failed, Jesus gently restored him, but not by saying, “I can’t believe you did that!” and going over each incident when Peter denied Him. Instead, He affirmed what He knew to be good and true about Peter, nudging him to see for himself by his answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you love me?” Judas, on the other hand, who underestimated God’s loving-kindness and forgiveness, punished himself pointlessly and irreversibly by taking his own life in guilt and shame. When you waver, reach for Him. When you start sinking, call out His name. He’ll be there, and He’ll welcome you back into His arms just readily as He did the first time you stumbled. When you fail, run for God, not from Him.

The is from The Dieter's Prayer Book. Why is it that we we fail, we want to run and hide? It seems against our nature to admit our failure and ask forgiveness. I guess it goes back to the beginning, doesn't it? When Adam and Eve failed, they hid from God. Here we are thousands of years later still hiding. God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to come to Him. We are afraid that God will pay us back for what we have done. There was a line in last week's sermon that has stuck with me, "God doesn't use discipline to pay us back, but to bring us back." Let's run to God!