I Can Promise You One Thing...

I've got a habit of repeating myself. It's not that I'm trying to do it, but when I have a realization it's something that I say over and over again. Maybe it's how my thought process works, but I find myself reflecting on these realizations and they work their way back into conversations.

Lately, my phrase has been: "I can promise you one thing... things will not be perfect."

I've said this to people who are transitioning leadership of different ministries around this church. I've said it about my own shortcomings in ministry. I've said it about dealing with kids. And to each and every person I say it, I mean it 100%. 

Why does this keep coming up? It's not exactly the most comforting statement for those looking for absolutes. We want to be assured that things will work like they're supposed to, that problems won't happen again, that things are under control. Yet, none of those are a promise I can make.

In the promise of imperfection I can say things will be OK, that learning will happen from mistakes, and that surprises will help us. In the promise of imperfection I can say that Grace will prevail.

Yesterday's scripture was from 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. It talked about providing comfort to those who are afflicted. And that comfort comes from God providing us comfort. Paul's letter talks about struggle and assures the church in Corinth they will face struggles as well. However, those struggles are met with the glory that Christ offers. Christ's own experience with struggle, his understanding of the difficulties humans face, seemed to end poorly… Until the glory of Grace got the final word. 

Within the life of our church, things will not go perfectly. We will struggle, we will try, we will fail. But here, almost more than anywhere, we will always find Grace for the imperfections. In that grace we find hope of a life not built on being the best, on being perfect, but a love stronger than the fear of perfection. A Grace big enough to take us in just as we are.

- Travis