I worked in and around the trades during parts of my life....and I found that there were basically two different types of mentality that work in the trades....the "good enoughers", and the "do it righters". The former was satisfied to let little things, not always immediately observable, nor always critical, to slide...."that's good enough." The non-OCD folks simply wanted to do the job right. Fortunately for me, I always seemed to get trained by guys who worked by the creed...do it right, or don't do it. They weren't there to impress anyone...they were just there to get it done right.
Sometimes in our spiritual journeys as men, husband, and fathers, we come under scrutiny that becomes uncomfortable. We are still earthly men, and try as we like, we still make mistakes, we still fall short...and we still are broken. Some around us may think we are not "good enough" because we are not "pastoral", we might swear on occasion, we behave stupidly and do dumb things. And, to not sugar coat at all, some around us are, to put it bluntly, just too openly pious and too harshly judgmental for their own good.
Do you answer to God, or do you answer to those people? Are you trying and striving to live up to God's standards, comfortable that in your mistakes and setbacks your are in His Grace, or are you trying to live up to those who are judgmental and not necessarily loving and forgiving or willing to help you in what they see as flaws and brokenness?
God knows me, just as He knows you. He knows that we are not good enough. He knows that we will never be good enough. But He has also promised that as long as we continue to strive to do the job of living right, and continue to believe in His son Jesus, that there will be a place prepared for us at the end of the job.
As long as you never say "that's good enough" about how you work at your continuing spiritual growth job, you have the Big Guy in your corner....and that's ALL you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment