Recently, in a time of discouragement, I asked the Lord what He would say to me. The Spirit's message was, "Nothing is wasted." We expect successes to be used, we want them to be. But what about failures? Our failures? Others' failures? Those spiritual seasons where we feel either dry as a desert or barely treading water? The years of loved ones struggling with sin or indifference? He uses those too. My long bout of depression, my years of addiction to an eating disorder, have given me compassion and mercy that I might otherwise not have had. I can reach out to people I could not relate to in my "pre-lapse" days. Most importantly, I can identify with those who struggle and tell them how the Lord helped me, instead of preach at them as if I had it all together.
Although my goal is immediate repentance when the Spirit calls me out on my sin, I often put Him on hold. Graciously, God is never in a hurry. The Spirit works on His own schedule. And if He patiently waits for my repentance, I can't rightfully refuse to do the same for others. Rushed repentance is rarely real. But I can, if someone is willing, help them look for the get-out-of-sin-free escape hatches the Lord will faithfully provide for the next temptation. It is comforting to know that the years away from the Lord are part of the richness of the repentance when it finally comes. Forgive this additional lapse into alliteration--Failure is the fodder of future faithfulness. Nothing is wasted.
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