Remembers…Forget…Car Crash!

 When I do right…when I do wrong

God is sheer mercy and grace;

    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.

He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,

    nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,

    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,

    so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset,

    he has separated us from our sins.  Psalm 103:8-12 (MSG)

Sorry I am running a bit late with this week’s instalment.  To be honest this week really needs a do-over.  Surprisingly Monday morning I felt light and chirpy and actually kinda excited. And then my car was rearranged on a local, notorious, badly painted lane arrowed roundabout.                     

In my defence I was totally innocent and for the record no-one was hurt, just inconvenienced and angry, scared and shocked. The other driver was in the wrong lane and mistakenly assumed that I would be getting out his way.  So hopefully all being well insurance and vehicles will be sorted out.

However, reflecting on this with a couple of nights sleep now, and the adrenaline rush and side effects passed I was struck by the responses of my family.  Of course immediately supportive and shocked and all the usual.  Yet when I said this was my first accident the chatter immediately turned to - well what about when you spun the car in the wet?  And I’m like; ‘no-one else was there. It doesn’t count.’. Or when you hit the gate Mum - that was just a turning issue through a particularly tight gap stone gate driveway says me.  In fact getting defensive I said ‘well this is the first vehicle to vehicle crash in 20+ years of driving and it wasn’t even my fault.’

It’s funny how when we try and sound righteous, we actually find others dragging us down.  It is like those around us have to dissuade us of our righteousness and take us down a peg or two.  My family meant no harm but I’m sure we can all remember the feeling of going from the righteous to the defensive.  And it made me wonder.  An ex-boyfriend of mine in High School (trust me we are talking decades now) gave me a wee sign:

‘When I do right, no-one remembers, 

but when I do wrong, no-one forgets.’

How grateful am I that God doesn’t do to us, to me what my family automatically did to me.  I don’t even want to imagine what God might say to me in my more righteous moments.  Heavens, I’d be terrified to let my best friend talk freely about my faults, never mind God.  Yet God doesn’t do that.  He doesn’t keep a list of my wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).  

Our challenge as Christians, indeed as human beings, is to resist the temptation to cast up the sins of others or sap the morale of one another by repeatedly pointing out flaws and failures or indeed constantly criticising ourselves.  Life is hard enough and mistakes are learning opportunities if we allow them to be.  Sometimes we are right but in the wrong place, like the roundabout on Monday morning.  Sometimes we are wrong in the right place like taking a risk and failing.  

God doesn’t look at you and see failure.  God looks at you and sees his child.  We know that our children will make mistakes but we love them anyway. God knows we are human and loves us anyway.  

So, whether you are feeling righteous or a failure - God loves you and he doesn’t measure your worth by your sins or failings or flaws.  He looks at your heart and sees the love, the compassion, the willingness to try again, the faith no matter how small, and he just loves you. 

Now I’m off for my PCR test and asking the Lord if the rest of the week could have a little less drama in it! 

Be forgiven and move on in faith.  God is ahead of you (future) and with you (present), not living in your past like unwanted houseguest lobbing missiles.  And if he doesn’t do that, let’s stop doing it to ourselves and others. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1 Cor 13:6)

All being well - see you next week!

God bless, 

Love Sarah