Successes & Failures
lives are filled with successes and failures. We remember the big successes and the epic failures but not so much the little successes or the little failures. The scorecard we use for our self assessment tends to look at the big successes and failures and we fill in with the little successes when we need the scales to tip in our favor to have our life viewed as mostly good. Where we skew how we present our accomplishments and hide our non-accomplishments. Our social media life and the life we share in discussions glosses over the failures of our life and proudly boasts about our successes. A highlight reel of our accomplishments. Our conversations are carefully orchestrated to give our readers and listeners a general sense that we are good and have done good. However, if we were to share about our failures and the decisions involved with them, the picture would get much darker. It is not the one we want to share for fear that people will judge us as not being good and not having done good. Embarrassment, shame, and guilt are front and center if failures is what we share and talk about. The good new is that God does not measure us by our scorecard (the successes and failures) but measures us by His scorecard. A scorecard of perfect unconditional (no strings attached) love, full righteousness (completely flawless), and complete redemption (fully paid for in sacrifice). All of them completed by Jesus for each of us individually to give us that scorecard (the gift of mercy and grace). A scorecard where we can be open and honest with Him without worry or concern that we will lose what He has already given (salvation and eternal love). A scorecard where we can live a life here on earth that is no longer about earning a better scorecard but rather celebrating and sharing the scorecard that He provided for us. A perfect scorecard earned and paid for by Jesus for our benefit. Imagine staring a round of golf and given a scorecard in the beginning already completed with a perfect score. Where the starter just tells you: “Go have a fun round and do your best but know that the score has already been earned by the one who filled out the scorecard with his round of golf.” To go do your best knowing that there is no penalty (in score) for messing up on a hole or having a bad hit. Becoming confident in your round to do your best for your score is already taken care so go swing away and stretch your abilities without worry that you will mess up. That is the gift from God. His scorecard for our benefit. Father, thank you for providing for me what I could never achieve. Loving me so much to ensure that I will meet your criteria because You did all the work through Jesus to achieve this. Thank you.
