Saturday, March 9, 2013

Lenten Challenge, Day 25: Faithful

"God hasn't called me to be successful. He's called me to be faithful." --Mother Teresa

It's hard not to think of Mother Teresa when the word "faithful" comes up, isn't it? She was the first person who popped in my mind when I heard today's word, and when I ran across the quote above, it seemed so very fitting with some of the themes that have been coming up in my writing again and again during this Lenten journey.

Success does not equal faithfulness.

All we're asked to do is be faithful. It doesn't matter how many times we screw up, or make mistakes, even colossal ones. What matters is that we stick with it. That we're ardent in trying. That we believe. What matters is that we're faithful.

Whew! I don't know about you, but that takes a huge load off this control-freak's shoulders. I try too hard most of the time to get things juuusst right. In my marriage, in my career, in my friendships, in parenting. But I don't have to be the ideal wife, employee, friend, parent. I just have to be genuine in my faithfulness in those things.

The same is true with faith. I'm gonna screw up. I'm gonna screw up a LOT. But that's not what God cares about. We're not called to be perfect, and don't ever let any Christian tell you otherwise. They're delusional if they really believe that. We don't have to get it right all the time. We don't have to be perfect.

Because God doesn't work on technicalities. God works on love.

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