When We Mess Up

When We Mess Up There’s a special kind of grief reserved for when we mess up. Self-doubt and shame creep into our minds after we make a mistake at work, yell at our kids, or say something hurtful to a loved one (accidental, or not). The step to return to God after we make these mistakes can feel so shameful and scary, but as we can see by reflecting on one of Jesus’s parables, returning to God is the best step that we can take. Written by Reclaim Today Recently, we came across a graphic that read, “I messed up. My Dad is going to kill me.” Gospel: “I messed up. I need to call my Dad.” In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable that gives us context for understanding the message behind this graphic. The son in Jesus’s parable had messed up badly. We’re talking…greedily demand an inheritance, waste it on “wild living,” and crawl back home after it all blows up sort of bad. In his grief and shame, he hoped his father would forgive his betrayal enough to at least let him return home as a hired servant. He never could have anticipated the warm welcome he’d actually receive. The story culminates with the father setting aside his own dignity in order to welcome the son home with open arms and a heart full of compassion. Our Heavenly Father has a posture of compassion, too. He is a Father who runs toward his children, in all our mess. He pursues us, unhindered by all the brokenness, guilt, and shame that we carry. And with great enthusiasm, he invites us to wear the identity he has for us—as sons and daughters who he sees as blameless through Christ. What good news!