Messing Up

Published: June 2, 2023, midnight

b'I am a full-fledged adult, and I still don\\u2019t feel like I/know what to do when I let people down. Of course, I understand that we live in a world that\\u2019s been broken by sin so we all hurt others, whether intentionally or unintentionally. That\\u2019s just part of life until Jesus returns. But letting others down still gets to me. As a Christian, I know that I\\u2019m supposed to be reflecting Jesus, but when I let the people around/me down, I feel like I\\u2019m failing both them and Jesus..Sometimes, we just mess things up entirely. Sin gets in the way, and we let down the people we love. What then? We can apologize and/seek forgiveness, but what if we still feel gross? Then we can look again to Jesus and be reminded of the value He sees in us. In fact, looking toward Jesus should/be the first thing we do when we fail.Jesus died on the cross for us, knowing that we all mess up again and again. That/didn\\u2019t stop Jesus from sacrificing His life and inviting us to join in His resurrection. God knows that we sin, and He readily offers forgiveness..Whenever we fall, Jesus wants to pick us back up and help us turn away from our sin. We don\\u2019t have to live under the crushing weight of guilt and shame, because Jesus has set us free (Psalms 32:1-5; 34:5)..It helps me to remember that God sees the value in me, even when I don\\u2019t see it in myself. He made me on purpose, and despite any mistakes I make or anything I do wrong, I still bear God\\u2019s image (Genesis 1:27)./\\u2022 Naomi Zylstra.\\u2022 Once we\\u2019ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that we are totally forgiven from all our sins\\u2014past, present, and future. Even so, when we mess up and let others down\\u2014either by sinning or just by making a mistake\\u2014 we often feel gross. How could it be helpful to turn to Jesus in these times and remember how He sees us? (Ephesians 1:4-14; 2:4-10) .\\u2022 Sometimes, we let others down even when we don\\u2019t do anything wrong. They might have expectations or/desires that we cannot meet, and this can be difficult to navigate. Even Jesus experienced people being/disappointed in Him, so He can empathize with us. He grieves our hurts with us, holding us close and reassuring us of His unconditional love. If you\\u2019re struggling with letting people down, who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk to about this? .Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nEph.4.32|Eph.1.4-Eph.1.14|Eph.2.4-Eph.2.10|Eph.4.21-Eph.4.25'