some kind of wonderful.

The Lord has been teaching me a lot of things this summer, some of the most vivid lessons being the concepts of grace and how our attitude has a lot to do with the blessings that we receive. Satan slips into our lives, our heads, and he whispers lies. He weaves our insecurities, our weaknesses, and our vulnerabilities together to create a mess. And then, after he’s created that mess, he whispers in our ear. He tells us that we are no good; we are undeserving. He tries to show us the limits we now face because of the choices he’s led us to make and because of the mess he’s contrived. So, loudly, thankfully, a prayer-filled HALLELUJAH, the Lord’s ways are so wonderful, and he takes that mess, that web of consequence, self-loathing, and insecurity, and He shows us his grace. He wraps His arms around us and shows us His love. He shows us His Son’s hands that have holes in them because He died on the cross to cover our sins. So where Satan shows us limits, the Lord shows us grace and blessings. The key is to have faith in that. Even Jesus was limited by the attitude of those he was trying to bless. In Jesus’ own town, He could not perform miracles because of the lack of faith of the people:

“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

–Mark 6:4-6

Believe that you are good enough, despite mistakes you’ve made. Believe you can do something that seems impossible. When you believe it, you’re inviting God’s blessings instead of limiting Him. Part of the wonder of our God is that he can take even the ugliest of messes and turn them into something beautiful. 

You just have to believe.