Everybody’s favorite football team knows the feeling – three seconds to go, down by two, and the kicker misses an easy field goal.
“I can’t believe he missed that!” everyone laments.
We say the same thing about ourselves all the time. We lose our temper, forget an assignment, miss a deadline, return to an unhealthy habit or addiction, and the next time we face a mirror, we cry, “I can’t believe I did that again!”
Same goes for when the people around us fall short: “I can’t believe they did that to me!”
Truth is, God can believe it. He isn’t caught off guard by our mistakes. He’s fully aware they’ll happen! Psalm 103:14 says, “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” As our Creator, he knows what we’re made of and our limitations. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away” (2:13). The good news, though, is that God was ready for our misses with a sufficient plan to redeem us: “Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins” (2:13 cont.).
It means that God’s love for us isn’t rooted in our ability to succeed, but our lives can be rooted in his unwavering and unchanging love, and that’s exactly what Paul encouraged the Colossians to do: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (2:7).
When we root our lives in our strength, we’re bound to fail. It’s the same result for when we expect others to be perfect. We’re just dust after all! When we root our lives in Christ’s love, though, we’re tapping into undefeated power that can transform our lives from the roots up.
We miss all the time. God, though? He’s never missed.
Questions for reflection:
- When was a time you were shocked by your sin? Consider a time when you believed you would never make “that mistake” again.
- How does Colossians 2:6-23 contrast with our idea that we need to be perfect?
- What are some of the ways in Colossians 2:6-23 that Paul encourages us to let our roots grow down into Christ?