Reason #433
There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good
She was very, very good
But when she was bad, she was horrid!
I was a lover of Mother Goose nursery rhymes as a child. I wore my Mother Goose book out and had that sucker memorized front to back. My mom used to joke with me about this little rhyme and at the end she would say, "But when she was bad, she was....Brittnye!" And I would squeal and laugh and say, "Noooooo!" But I'll be real honest and say that some days the only difference between me and that little girl is a curl in the middle of her forehead.
I don't like to admit this about myself, but I have those horrid moments. I like for people to think the best of me, so I cringe in saying this. It's true, however. I have my days where I'm just not very good. Days where I whine and complain and take things way too personally. Days where the smallest of things upset me and I get my feelings hurt way too easily. Days where I just wake up and I don't feel in the best of moods. My hair won't cooperate, my clothes don't fight right, and I slowly morph into a bit of a grump. Some days, I am horrid.
I had a horrid moment yesterday, and as the realization of that began to sink in, my stomach began to hurt. It was a painful reality, and I woke up filled with dread. Worry bogged down my morning and regret chased me around all day. What are you to do after those horrid moments? You can't take them back, you can't change what you did, and so you have to own up to it. Admit it, which is, by far, one of the hardest and most humbling things to do. But it's only right, and this is a lesson I've had to learn the hard way. Hopefully one I'll steer clear of more often than not.
And so as worry turned my stomach inside out, and as I spent a long time punishing myself, I found myself being met with forgiveness and unconditional love, two things I did not deserve. A love that said, "Hey, we all have our moments. Sure, it wasn't the best way to go about it and yea, it hurt, but that's behind us now. We don't have to revisit that, but we can learn from it and move forward. I'm not holding that against you and I forgive you for it. There's nothing we can't work through." And I'm thankful for a love like that. I'm thankful for a God like that. One who will take me back after my horrid moments. One whose love for me is unwavering and is still as strong even when I'm being incredibly unlovable. And I'm thankful for forgiveness, for unlimited forgiveness. Heavens knows if there is one who could use up forgiveness cards quickly, it would be me, so I'm glad it never runs out. And that little girl, well she still has a lot of learning to do. Fortunately for her, His forgiveness runs deep and His love is never-ending.
#433 - Because His forgiveness runs deep and His love is never-ending.
"Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is." - Ephesians 3:18