WE NEED TO FALL

…we need to fall, and we need to be aware of it; for if we did not fall, we should not know how weak and wretched we are of ourselves, nor should we know our Maker’s marvelous love so fully… ~Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

Sometimes in life when we make mistakes we can be incredibly hard on ourselves. We can often go ten rounds in our heads when we get even the slightest thing off or wrong. Part of being a human is to make mistakes and I have always taken comfort in the stories of the disciples because they make so many repeated mistakes. It is more okay with us when someone else makes the mistakes but the standards to which we hold ourselves are often higher and different than the other. Grace comes in all forms and for each of us.

What Julian points out in writing about errors is the need that we have to fall. It isn’t just that we do make mistakes but also that we have to. She writes that if we didn’t make mistakes we wouldn’t fully know the grace and love and God fully. For it is in our errors, that we see how loving our God truly is. God loves us beyond what we do, good or bad. What God calls us to do is to love completely and this includes ourselves. In other words, cut yourself some slack. God is love.

Prayer

God of love, often times we can be so very hard on ourselves. We often don’t forgive our own missteps. When we err, help us to remember how much you love us and live in the glory of your overflowing and unending love. In Jesus Name, Amen.