Moving Forward Out of Slavery

I have rewritten yesterday's blog twice and the "Shootings" blog three times. No, actually, I have corrected grammar and spelling rather than revised. I am not amazed at how poorly I write when I am tired or how many typos I make. I expect that since I have some brain damage plus I never learned to type using more than two fingers. I am dismayed, however, that even with proof reading my work several times, I still fail to see the errors!

I am sure that if I went back through my blogs, I would continue to find many mistakes, but they will have to remain uncorrected. I cannot move forward if I spend all my energies looking backward. There are some exceptions, like working on my genealogy, but for the most part, I need to address today, having learned from yesterday, while setting goals for tomorrow.

That is also true spiritually. Guilt and shame over past sins can hold us in bondage, I am talking to believers here, robbing us of the freedom Christ paid so dearly to give us. In Christ, our sins are no more. They are GONE!!!! We are free from them and need to accept that liberation.

But many of us live in slavery, unknowingly choosing shackles over freedom. We do it when we try to be "good enough" or to "deserve" salvation. Forget it, both are impossible, absolutely unattainable goals. Fortunately, we don't need to achieve them, anyway. Salvation is a free gift, and unless accepted as such is not true salvation at all.

So, moving forward out of the slavery of perfectionism, I will pray for strength to do my best, accept and be comfortable with the fact I am not perfect, and depend, moment by moment on my Savior. He is a Master of using the less-than-perfect children to accomplish His perfect will... so long as they are willing.

Just look what He has done with this blogging He led me into. It is published in four different venues. I don't receive many posted comments, but I receive a LOT of private e-mail, much of which has led to witnessing dialog. He uses me in spite of my weakness and insufficiencies... for He is my strength and He suffices for all.

I am a slow learner, but God patiently teaches me using the stuff of my everyday life. Stuff like editing my blogs... Is He teaching you? Look for His lessons. Listen for His voice.