Many people, graciously, give me the reputation of being this "perfect" "little goody-two-shoes" girl. First, a few things. To those people who say this: Thank you. Thank you for giving me a compliment that I am so far from deserving. Also, clearly I've not done enough to be transparent around you, forgive me for that. This post should clear things up. To those of you who don't believe this about me: Thank you. Thank you for being honest, and for not putting such a high standard on the books for me to live up to. I am not one bit offended, but actually grateful.
Oh the Lord is so good. I know that's random, but just felt like it was time to say it. I'm sure it'll make sense by the end of this post.
This is why I believe I'm not perfect, and why I know that the Lord know's I'm not perfect:
Psalm 14: 2-3 "The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good,not even one."
You're probably thinking, "Wow Ashley, way to put a damper on my day." That was not my goal. My goal here is for you to see, according to Scripture (If you don't believe in the Bible, that's a whole 'nother story), that it is impossible for me, or any human for that matter, to reach perfection on this earth. No one becomes perfect until they reach the Heavenly Kingdom. The passage in Psalm 14 tells us that no one does good on this earth, not even one. Why does He say that? Because in comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ's journey on earth, no one can even reach the "good" standard on the scale. The Lord is not saying this to be condemning or discouraging, but instead, maybe encouraging. Think of it this way, if none of us are ever going to reach perfection, then we should stop trying to reach something that's not possible. I'm preaching to the choir here, let me tell ya. I want to be the best of the best in every field of my life, but I know this one I will not be able to reach. Please don't take this to say we shouldn't, then, try at all to be "good".
Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
The purpose of our lives on this earth is not to reach perfection, because that is impossible. Why is that impossible?? Because when sin entered the world, we lost all chances at reaching perfection on this earth. However, God send His Son for redemption. He forgave us of our sins, and for those of us who have given our lives to Christ, He gives us a second chance. He gives us the opportunity to not reach perfection, but to do the best we can to model our lives after Jesus up until the time of Judgement. God is so so good for giving us this undeserved second chance, but He's waiting to give it to YOU right now. No, you don't have to be perfect. But you do have to get rid of sin when you are convicted of it by the holy spirit, avoid temptation when you know it is wrong, follow the Lord's commandments to the best of your ability (with the help of the spirit), and lead a life honoring the Lord. THIS is what it's about, not about making a 90% on the test, but STRIVING for the perfection we will never reach, knowing that we are honoring God in that. God is good. And He loves you.
Oh the Lord is so good. I know that's random, but just felt like it was time to say it. I'm sure it'll make sense by the end of this post.
This is why I believe I'm not perfect, and why I know that the Lord know's I'm not perfect:
Psalm 14: 2-3 "The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good,not even one."
You're probably thinking, "Wow Ashley, way to put a damper on my day." That was not my goal. My goal here is for you to see, according to Scripture (If you don't believe in the Bible, that's a whole 'nother story), that it is impossible for me, or any human for that matter, to reach perfection on this earth. No one becomes perfect until they reach the Heavenly Kingdom. The passage in Psalm 14 tells us that no one does good on this earth, not even one. Why does He say that? Because in comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ's journey on earth, no one can even reach the "good" standard on the scale. The Lord is not saying this to be condemning or discouraging, but instead, maybe encouraging. Think of it this way, if none of us are ever going to reach perfection, then we should stop trying to reach something that's not possible. I'm preaching to the choir here, let me tell ya. I want to be the best of the best in every field of my life, but I know this one I will not be able to reach. Please don't take this to say we shouldn't, then, try at all to be "good".
Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
The purpose of our lives on this earth is not to reach perfection, because that is impossible. Why is that impossible?? Because when sin entered the world, we lost all chances at reaching perfection on this earth. However, God send His Son for redemption. He forgave us of our sins, and for those of us who have given our lives to Christ, He gives us a second chance. He gives us the opportunity to not reach perfection, but to do the best we can to model our lives after Jesus up until the time of Judgement. God is so so good for giving us this undeserved second chance, but He's waiting to give it to YOU right now. No, you don't have to be perfect. But you do have to get rid of sin when you are convicted of it by the holy spirit, avoid temptation when you know it is wrong, follow the Lord's commandments to the best of your ability (with the help of the spirit), and lead a life honoring the Lord. THIS is what it's about, not about making a 90% on the test, but STRIVING for the perfection we will never reach, knowing that we are honoring God in that. God is good. And He loves you.
Need some practical reasons of why I'm not perfect? Fine.
1. I worry. I worry a lot. Worry is, in essence, not trusting that God will come through for you. That is equivalent to sin. Worry is from the Devil, peace is from God.
2. I get cranky when I have to repeat myself. AJ and my mom will testify to this. Some people say they have never seen me mad. Ask me to repeat myself...and you will. The Lord is working in me on this.
3. I've struggled with depression. Read the beginning of my blog page.
4. I set impossible goals for myself, setting myself up for failure.
5. I laugh at jokes that I shouldn't. That is why I have continually posted Ephesians 4:29 on my facebook. The Lord is sincerely working in me about this issue, praise Him for that.
A lot of times people think that I'm perfect because I'm not doing anything wrong "on the outside". I.e., I've never taken a sip of alcohol in my life. I've never done drugs. I was a virgin on my wedding night. Those things, yes, I praise God for. But they aren't the only sins out there in the world. There are different consequences for different sins. For example, the consequences of alcohol, sex outside of marriage, and drugs are usually external. Whether that mean diseases, sickness, pain, getting grounded, going to jail, etc. However, the things I struggle with are more internal. My consequences include a worry that trumps God's voice in my head. My consequences include frustrating, overwhelming "what if" thoughts that produce nothing but a bad attitude. My consequences include constant self-esteem issues unless I reach the high goals I've set myself. Just because I don't struggle with the THINGS you struggle with, doesn't mean I don't struggle LIKE you. Sin is around me as much as it is around you, and the Devil tries to attack me just like he tries to attack you. But I am thankful for the protecting nature of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me and gives me good judgment when it's not clouded by other worries. I. Am. No. Better. Than. You. That's the point of this post. Not to diss on myself, but to let you know, that I am just like you. Don't try to live your life to reach ME, instead...try to live your life to reach the Lord. Reach the Lord's expectations, not mine. I love my friends for giving me such a high compliment, but I never want to be so reserved that people do not know the truth about me. Truth is, I'm a sinner. But the good thing is, the Holy Spirit wakes me up every day to try and try again to rid myself of the sin in my life and to honor the Lord in all that I do. <3
1. I worry. I worry a lot. Worry is, in essence, not trusting that God will come through for you. That is equivalent to sin. Worry is from the Devil, peace is from God.
2. I get cranky when I have to repeat myself. AJ and my mom will testify to this. Some people say they have never seen me mad. Ask me to repeat myself...and you will. The Lord is working in me on this.
3. I've struggled with depression. Read the beginning of my blog page.
4. I set impossible goals for myself, setting myself up for failure.
5. I laugh at jokes that I shouldn't. That is why I have continually posted Ephesians 4:29 on my facebook. The Lord is sincerely working in me about this issue, praise Him for that.
A lot of times people think that I'm perfect because I'm not doing anything wrong "on the outside". I.e., I've never taken a sip of alcohol in my life. I've never done drugs. I was a virgin on my wedding night. Those things, yes, I praise God for. But they aren't the only sins out there in the world. There are different consequences for different sins. For example, the consequences of alcohol, sex outside of marriage, and drugs are usually external. Whether that mean diseases, sickness, pain, getting grounded, going to jail, etc. However, the things I struggle with are more internal. My consequences include a worry that trumps God's voice in my head. My consequences include frustrating, overwhelming "what if" thoughts that produce nothing but a bad attitude. My consequences include constant self-esteem issues unless I reach the high goals I've set myself. Just because I don't struggle with the THINGS you struggle with, doesn't mean I don't struggle LIKE you. Sin is around me as much as it is around you, and the Devil tries to attack me just like he tries to attack you. But I am thankful for the protecting nature of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me and gives me good judgment when it's not clouded by other worries. I. Am. No. Better. Than. You. That's the point of this post. Not to diss on myself, but to let you know, that I am just like you. Don't try to live your life to reach ME, instead...try to live your life to reach the Lord. Reach the Lord's expectations, not mine. I love my friends for giving me such a high compliment, but I never want to be so reserved that people do not know the truth about me. Truth is, I'm a sinner. But the good thing is, the Holy Spirit wakes me up every day to try and try again to rid myself of the sin in my life and to honor the Lord in all that I do. <3