Recently I was speaking with a friend who was deep in shame. So deep in fact that they could not even recognize their 'bad' behavior for what it was, but rather went about justifying it in a comically absurd way. Three-quarters of the way into our conversation these words came flowing out of my mouth; "God's 'goodness' far outweighs mine and yours 'badness'."
Their response was, "That's outrageous."
And they're right.
Even in affirming that the goodness of Abba succeeds over any of my inherent depravity or chosen sin, I feel uncomfortable. Honestly, this is an outlandish statement to make, and yet I consistently find this truth affirmed throughout Scripture. My worst sin pails in comparison to the goodness of God. The reality is, this is true because of who God is, rather than who I am. It is not dependent upon my 'badness' not really being 'that bad', but it is consistently hinged upon God's constant and forever holiness.
Living out of this truth sets free my captivity from the prison of shame I so often lock myself in.
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