My husband bought these little Jesus fish necklaces to give to the kiddos so they (and he) could wear and remember how much Jesus loves them despite their current situation.
And in that moment – we are the perfect couple. We are foster parents who have selflessly given our home and time to these kiddos. We love them unconditionally. We teach them about Jesus. We show them they are worthy and can make good decisions for their lives and change their trajectory.
But do not for one second put us on a pedal stool. Do not for one second think – “ugh, I could never do that, they are so awesome”, “everything is so perfect for them”, “they have always been put together – so I can’t do that”. (**My best lean into the microphone Trump imitation**) --WRONG.
The ONLY reason we can lavishly love is because we have been lavishly forgiven. The only reason we look like this little perfect family at times is because of our imperfections that grace has covered.
Today: foster momma spreading Jesus love, working to empower other people to strive for fulfillment in life.
Just a few years ago: Sorority girl trying to find who she truly was while being helped down from a bar top where she was dancing provocatively.
Oops, did I just let the cat out of the bag? Do you think of me differently? Isn’t this one of those things I am supposed to shove behind me and hopes no one remembers because it could ruin my “reputation”?
Baloney.
If we are true to ourselves we all have those moments and failures and embarrassing times that we try to shove to the bottom of our Mary Poppins bag of life’s bad decision that taint the “good person” we have become.
Next point: all of my failures are not behind me.
Let me clear my throat.
All of YOUR failures are not behind you either.
Inhale. Exhale. It will all be okay. You are in good company, because this is real life beyond the highlight reel of social media. And honestly? These rough discarded images of bad decisions are what make the others so much more beautiful.
So let me ask you – do you feel like you cannot wear your Jesus necklace because of the sting of the past or the decision you made that people still remember you for? Do you feel like you would be a hypocrite? Do you feel like you cannot step up into God’s huge plan for your life or become a missionary to the field you are in (aka your current job!) because someone might find out about your persistent failures?
Welcome my friend. “Jesus necklaces” do not mean you pride yourself in your perfection. They mean your imperfection is covered.
What is your “Jesus necklace”? Maybe that’s the way you carry yourself at your job or paying for the person behind you. Maybe that’s holding the door for someone else, or helping a friend without expecting them to return the favor. Maybe that’s sending out encouraging texts to people, or practicing forgiveness. Maybe that’s genuinely praying for someone else. Maybe that’s starting a blog about your life that ends up being this mission field to show people how much love there still is in the world….
Show the world you are a hypocrite – because there is nothing else we can be – but more than that, show that you are forgiven and boldly showing others they can be forgiven too.
Wear it. Wear your Jesus necklace.
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