“Count yourself lucky – God holds nothing against you and you holding nothing back from him.” Psalm 32.2
David expresses a prayer where the audience could easily be just himself. “Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be – you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean.”
Sitting in my hotel nursing a congested nose and watching the wind sweep the budding flowers with rain, I can see what David is willing to share with us. Life is all about spring following winter, taking a shower after a long day, spending time in a sauna just being, and letting God define who you are.
Take yesterday for example. There were moments where I expressed God’s creative love in ways that surprised everyone. There were moments where I expressed a degree of self-absorption that surprised nobody. In between there were opportunities to express grace.
Reflecting at the day’s end, I found myself angry for my failures, and surprised by my success. I wondered about what could have been, imagined the impact of grace acts, and experienced sadness for the loss of what could have been.
I reflected on the anger expressed by a peer at changes within the corporation. I found myself crying at injustice and inequities. The problems are real. Our failures are real. Will they overwhelm and consume us? Will the guilt of failures past dictate the future?
Who dictates that I must keep my failures with me as personal baggage? Who says that yesterday’s failures will dictate today’s actions? God doesn’t!
Winds of grace can sweep the slate clean. Acceptance rain can give me a coat of love. The only guilt that sticks is the guilt I leave myself. God doesn’t hold it against me so why should I? Learn from yesterday, yes! Be haunted by yesterday, no! Remember yesterday, ok. Start fresh with a clean slate of new opportunities, YES!
God accepts me just where I am, but he cannot and will not leave me that way. He washes me with grace, cleanses me with love, and changes me from the inside out!
