For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14 (CSB)
Here I am on my couch, crying again. I will never get it together. I am such a failure. I am just so tired of making plans and lists and self-help do-overs that end right back where I started. I just can’t do it. I can’t fix myself.
It’s been five years since I had a “failure” breakdown. I was done, over trying to be better, do better, get better. I just kept missing my mark — my perfectionist, pull-myself-up-by-the-bootstraps, get-it-together mark. So I sat on my couch and cried out to the Lord. I threw up my hands and said, “I’m done.”
It was as though the Lord was waiting for those very words because when I finally recognized my deep weakness, when I finally gave in, that was when I was able to grow and mature in Christ by relying on His strength. I am clay, and clay cannot mold itself. He is the molder and perfecter of my faith and my soul and all of me.
And the best, most wonderful, life-giving news of all? As He’s intimately molding me toward maturity, He doesn’t look at me as a failure. He looks at me, His beloved daughter, and sees perfection, completeness, because of Jesus Christ. God has already perfected me because I know Him. Yeah, there’s still work to be done with my humanity here on earth, and I’m certainly not perfect here, but where I’m going? Done deal. Perfect. Complete. Right now. What sweet freedom, what grace. What an exhale.
This message was written by Sarah Mae and appears in A Moment to Breathe: 365 Devotions That Meet You in Your Everyday Mess, a devotional from the (in)courage community available at DaySpring.com and wherever books are sold.
He is the molder and perfecter of my faith and my soul and all of me. -@sarahmae: Click To Tweet Leave a Comment
Sarah Mae,
Oh how I’ve been in your shoes. I tie myself up in knots trying to earn, strive, do more, be enough, accomplish. I struggle and fight with myself until FINALLY I get to the end of me. Meanwhile, God waits patiently. He knows I’ll get to this point, where I exhaust all of MY abilities, and in a collapsed heap, I call out to Him. I’m encouraged that my periods of flailing about have gotten shorter over the years. I come, a little more quickly, to the conclusion that I have to utterly rely and depend upon Jesus for my identity, my strength, my ability to do anything at all. If you know Him…then that, in and of itself is enough! We are perfected, not in our strength, but His sacrifice. Huge exhale! Love this!
Blessings,
Bev xx
200% yes!!
Sarah Mae,
This world says you can do it on your own. You don’t need help. You’re strong enough. We end up trying to accomplish everything we think we need to do. Trouble is we want to do it perfectly. Outside of God we can’t. That makes the devil laugh. He thinks he has us. We believe in God & so does he. We are not truly relying & trusting on God. We are just mere humans-clay in the hands of the molder. We need His strength to help us get done only what He would have us do. We will never be able to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We must learn to rely & trust on God to help us get through our days.
Blessings 🙂
Love this Scripture and the truth that we are sanctified in Him! I feel the same “exhale”, sister. Sweet relief and promises in God! And He who made us is the best One to mold and shape us. He sees things we don’t see and His changes are always from a place of love, where our self-criticism often is not.
These words were right on time. This is where I was just yesterday and felt even more defeated this morning. But after your reading I know that God still loves me and has not forgotten about me. He is on throne and he takes care of his children no matter what.
Thank you and may God continue to bless you and in your ministry.
Jesus is potter we are the clay. All we have to do is trust Jesus. Let him mould us into the beautiful clay pots he wants us to be. Letting him remove all the rough edges. (meaning all the stuff in our lives that we don’t want in or need in our lives) All we have to do his hand it over to Jesus in prayer and trust his word the Bible and the promises in it. If we know him as our Saviour. He will do the work in us with his hand making us into the beautiful clay pots he wants us to be. That then unsaved will see the beauty of Jesus in us and see what beautiful Pots we are. Then want what we have and that is to know Jesus as their Saviour. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xxxx
About 6 years ago I read a book entitled Surrendet Fast
The author took me on a 40 day fast of surrendering my “I can do it” mentality. I’m still surrendering, but now, I’m surrendering- fast. God is indeed able to do exceedingly, abundantly…
Hi Sarah Mae!
Great message…
“It’s been five years since I had a “failure” breakdown. I was done, over trying to be better, do better, get better. I just kept missing my mark — my perfectionist, pull-myself-up-by-the-bootstraps, get-it-together mark. So I sat on my couch and cried out to the Lord. I threw up my hands and said, “I’m done.”
This comment so describes my actions and reactions for the past few months. I too remember saying to God, “I give up! I can’t do this anymore!” It seemed as if my moves and thoughts, which I thought was a direction from God had an unproductive outcome. Surrender and submission was and still is my only option. I believe and hope that when I rest, God works! Thanks for sharing. Charisse 🙂
Sarah Mae,
I too have been there on the couch with you or in my car or bedroom….at the end of myself with turning to God and calling out to Him as my last option. He should be my first option I do pray continuously don’t get me wrong but what I mean is I wish I had the sense the true patience to trust God to relent to completely give over any power I think I have from the beginning instead of exhausting myself in trying in the first place. I wonder then if those moments of failure would sting less, if I’d hurt less?
This world can hurt and the people in it. I am no way near slightly perfect and still at 39 have seasons of disappointing doubt, shame. But as I’ve gotten older the moments are more short lived and I run into the arms of God faster than I did before.
He is always thee and I’m so grateful for him, his love and belief in me. Thank you for this post, to know on the other side in heaven to think we are completed and finished perfect because of Jesus and his death for us is comforting.
Jas
Sarah Mae,
I too have been there on the couch with you or in my car or bedroom….at the end of myself with turning to God and calling out to Him as my last option. He should be my first option I do pray continuously don’t get me wrong but what I mean is I wish I had the sense the true patience to trust God to relent to completely give over any power I think I have from the beginning instead of exhausting myself in trying in the first place. I wonder then if those moments of failure would sting less, if I’d hurt less?
This world can hurt and the people in it. I am no way near slightly perfect and still at 39 have seasons of disappointing doubt, shame. But as I’ve gotten older the moments are more short lived and I run into the arms of God faster than I did before.
He is always there and I’m so grateful for him, his love and belief in me. Thank you for this post, to know on the other side in heaven to think we are completed and finished perfect because of Jesus and his death for us is comforting.
Jas