When I look at this picture, of a night when the fires from Canada came to my backyard, I think of all the ways I fall short of caring for the environment..

What We Do

There’s an episode of the television show Friends, where they were all suggesting New Year’s Resolutions for the other characters to make – telling each other the actions they thought they should take to be a better person in the new year. It didn’t work so well, probably because the resolutions didn’t come from the inside out.

This verse reminds us that even when we want there to be a change in our lives, when we want to stop certain behaviors, we still struggle. We still find it hard to change. It helps me to see that this has been true from the beginning of the Christian church. Even when we embrace our faith and follow Christ, we still aren’t going to be perfect. Which must mean that Jesus still loves us, even in our imperfect moments. Once I was leading a class, and I gave homework, and I said, “But don’t worry if you don’t finish. Jesus still loves you and so do I.” It just came out, as a response to the stress I was feeling in the room. And the response was this collective deep breath, and relaxing into our identity as beloved people of God.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, that you know what it is to be us, that you care about the ways we try to be the best we can be, and still love us when we fall short of the goal. Amen

Reflection Questions:

1. What is the part of your life you are working on changing right now?
2. Do you find it hard to forgive yourself when you fall short of your goals or resolutions?
3. Can you offer the journey of changing to God in prayer?