I started this week with regret. I had such a busy weekend, and didn’t have the prayer time throughout the day that I like to remember. I felt stupid—like I had failed God because I didn’t have conversations with Him over the weekend like I usually do. And I told Him I was sorry. His response was so beautiful—I am always faithful. Just come. Leave regret and guilt behind and come to me. I have never left.
So often I feel my relationship with Jesus depends on my meeting a set of standards and expectations I have for myself. I think that when I fail to meet these, I am failing Him and He might leave me or reject me because I’m not doing enough. That’s an enormous amount of pressure, especially for someone who messes up all the time!
But over and over again in Scripture and in my life, Jesus has proved Himself faithful even when people are faithless. He remains consistent, even when we are angry or rejecting of Him. He remembers us even when we forget.
I like to think of how He compares us to sheep. I think about the expectations for sheep. They are not lofty for sure. Sheep are expected to eat grass, drink water, and get themselves into pickles. That’s just what they do! And so if I am compared to a sheep, God’s expectation of me can’t be very lofty either. He expects me to eat, drink and get distracted—sometimes by the very thing I’m eating or drinking!
What a relief to relax into His faithfulness. I don’t have to obsess on getting it right—I just need to come back to Him, leaving regret and shame behind. I come to Him with my burdens, some created by my own behavior. He never turns me away, never rebukes me for being a sheep. He is faithful, always. He never leaves, and nothing can separate us from His love. Rest and enjoy relationship with Him!
Yahweh’s tender mercies have no end, and the kindness of his endless love is never exhausted. New, fresh mercies greet me with every sunrise. So wonderfully great is your faithfulness! I tell my soul, “Yahweh is my abundant portion. I need nothing more. So, I will put all my hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24