God has a way of putting things into perspective. Last year was rough; more than that, it felt like hell in a handbasket. I tried bargaining with God. I begged that if things would get better, I would do x, y, z. I convinced myself that the reason my spouse was in the hospital was that I didn’t live up enough to God’s standards and that I was being punished. This warped theology, in which I had been surrounding myself, was creating toxicity in my faith—bad fruit.
How many of you heard from the pulpit all about sin and not as much about grace, and how salvation can be ripped from you for missing the mark? Because that is the definition of sin: missing the mark. Sin isn’t about how horrible a person you are; it is about missing the ideal standard of God. However, we are never going to meet that standard all the time. We are human. We make mistakes.
This theology that you are damned for missing a target is just plain bad. This way of thinking is what started purity culture. It made young girls believe that just because they showed the slightest bit of shoulder, it was her responsibility for the “impure” thoughts of GROWN men. It created the very idea that if she didn’t say or do the right things, then something horrible would happen, that she would disgrace God. But this theology goes against the Word we hold to in our faith. Let’s look at what the Bible says.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
-2 Corinthians 5:21
This verse emphasizes that through Jesus, God sees us not in our weakness but through Christ’s righteousness. It highlights the assurance that our salvation is based on Jesus’ perfection, not our own ability to “hit the mark.” This provides hope and security for believers, knowing our identity is rooted in the Messiah’s finished work.
How many times have you gone through being overly critical of yourself in your faith?
- I didn’t pray enough.
- I didn’t pray the right prayers.
- I forgot to bless my food.
- I didn’t have good thoughts.
- I lied about something out of fear.
- I’m not good enough.
But then the Word says to all of this, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” – Romans 8:1
Stop getting religious OCD!
Be assured that God does not condemn those who trust in Jesus, even when we fall short. His grace covers our imperfections. His GRACE IS ENOUGH!
In closing, I invite you to let go of any burden of inadequacy you may be carrying. Let go of the fear that you aren’t “enough” in God’s eyes. You are loved. You are accepted. You are made whole because of Jesus (Yeshua)!