I Don't Measure Up

Have you ever thought that you don’t measure up?  More specifically, have you ever thought that you don’t measure up to other Christians?  Well, I have.  In fact, I think that all the time.

You see, I didn’t grow up in the church.  I don’t speak the Christian lingo.  I don’t attend all of the functions.  And to be honest, I was slow to mature when I became an adult and sometimes was unable to pay all of my bills on time, in full, or at all.  Clearly, I don’t have a perfect background.

But I ask you this, did Jesus come because we were all doing well?  Or did He come because we were all messed up and needed Him desperately?  Well, I think He came to me because I fell into the latter, messed up” category.

You see, I didn’t really start living for Christ until I was older so a lot of things in my past are pretty messed up.  There is nothing I can do to remedy my past.  I have done everything I can to make amends, but my past is still what it is and will continue to be so.

What I find interesting, though, is that Christ has forgiven my past.  He knows my heart and my mind…He knows everything about me.  And He will judge me one day, a fact I am grateful to know.

While I await my turn to stand before God, I must admit that I am tired of people judging others.  There is not a single living person who hasn’t messed up in one way or another.  And there isn’t a single living person who doesn’t need Christ.  We all need Him.  We all need Him every day.

The next time you meet someone who may not seem to satisfy all of your preconceived notions of how he or she should be, I encourage you to take a moment to really look at your own self, at the way you live your own life.  And I encourage you to determine whether or not you successfully measure up to the same expectations you think others should.  More than likely, you will probably realize that you, too, fail to measure up to your own preconceived standards.