One Failure

My challenge for today is to let go of one failure. I hate failure. I avoid it whenever possible.

The truth is, I have failed at many things. Large and small. I fail at things every day. My awareness of my own failures may be one of the reasons I'm so addicted to and appreciative of radical, outrageous grace. Which leads me to the failure that I need to let go of tonight.

Love. I fail so miserably at love. My relationship and experience with God has lead me to an understanding of unconditional love. It's the most life-changing, transformational, and powerful force in the universe. It's the ultimate answer to the old "WWJD" bracelets. Jesus would love. Unconditionally. No matter what.

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. To be honest, though, I'd rather teach or write about unconditional love than actually get out there and do it. I choose "safe" over "all in" way too often. It's much cleaner to split hairs between what love really looks like, rationalizing our tendencies to stay detached from messy situations. Ultimately, I spend more time discussing love and justifying inaction than taking bold steps of unconditional love.

At some level, though, that's the point. I'm continually stumbling and falling down. The realization of my own failure in this doesn't make me feel pitiful or worthless. Instead, it drives me right back into the arms of Jesus. Like so many other people that have found themselves there, He picks me back up, demonstrating what unconditional love really looks like, and then encourages me to get back in the game.

Realizing that helps me to understand the potential depths of love a little more. I can live with that.