Misery Loves Company

It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. – Romans 7:21

We all mess up. Some of us mess up more than others, and some try really hard not to mess up at all; but we all mess up. We make mistakes when we’re being careless – spilling a cup of coffee, backing up the car into a post, forgetting to record that favorite TV show. We mess up when we’re being selfish: saying something in anger, ignoring people, eating too much, making fun of people. Whether we intend to or not, we all mess up.

The message of Romans 7-8 though is clear. We see a stark contrast between the focus of chapter 7 and the focus of 7:25 and chapter 8. Chapter 7 is focused entirely on “I” where chapter 8’s attention turns to Christ and Spirit. It would seem the answer to us messing up is Jesus himself. He is our redemption – the answer to our failures. If we can stand on His goodness instead of our mishaps, we will be like the one who built his house on the rock instead of the one whose foundation was on shifting sand.

Is it OK, then that we mess up all the time? No, of course not, we should always strive for perfection, but don’t be surprised if we don’t reach it. But when we mess up, and we will, it’s good to know that He is there to lift us back up.