Crawling into my lap with downcast eyes, she apologized in her sweet little voice for her struggles the previous night. Nighttime routines are a good thing, but they don’t always prevent the bedtime antics. And yet my precious daughter knows, each day is new, and my love for her does not require perfection. How glad I am that the Lord’s love for me is similarly not dependent on perfection.
Today’s Second Reading refers to our God as a God of peace Who can make us perfectly holy (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This holiness is possible only through Him, not on our own. It is only with the grace of God that we can be preserved blameless. We are called to be faithful, not perfect in every action, while striving towards holiness.
And so we try each day. We make amends when we hurt others, we get back up when we fall, and we call on the Lord to help us in the little moments when we find our strength failing, and in the big moments when we recognize the impossibility of the situation. We keep that which is good and strive to reject evil in our midst. And we keep praying, unceasingly.
When we are able to recognize our own imperfections, our own struggles and set backs, it makes us better equipped to deal with the faults of others. At times we let others down, and at other times we are disappointed by those we love. Next time you experience disappointment internally or from another, pull yourself closer to the Lord and give thanks that He is holding you.
Draw comfort from knowing that He wants the best from you and for you because He loves you and you are His precious daughter.
He loves you and you are His precious daughter. // @maryruthhackettClick to tweet
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Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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