As my body woke up from a night of slumber, so did the constant fear that rolled over and over in my stomach.  I had recently completed a three minute speaker promo video and I had shared it with my family and friends, including a lot of pastors and ministry leaders. I even shared it on Facebook.  I was unsure how people would receive it.  I felt vulnerable. Exposed.

I was terrified of being rejected.

Really, I felt ashamed of the message that God had given me. I wanted a message that made me look good – that I was a godly example of a faith-filled, triumphant, overcoming Christian woman.

I prayed, “Oh God, why can’t I have a message of how my overcoming faith and steadfast trust is solving all of my problems?” Instead, I feel like God’s poster child for finding strength in weakness, hope in brokenness, and grace for imperfections. My message is that I don’t have my life together, but God uses me anyway.

My example is not of a perfect Christian woman, but rather an imperfect one who survives on grace.

None of us want to be found out. We all have areas of brokenness, weakness, and imperfection. Everyone of us have failures and deep regrets whose memories haunt us whenever our mind slows down. We want to hide the areas where we are weak.  And let’s not even mention how we cuss at bad drivers, get angry at our husbands, or yell at our kids to clean up their junk.

We feel ashamed because we don’t have a Pinterest-perfect life.

God knew this would be the case. From the very beginning, Eve made a colossal mistake when she believed the tempting lie of the enemy and bit into the apple. She saw her nakedness. She felt exposed and uncovered. She felt ashamed. But God had a plan for the weak, broken, and foolhardy humans He had created. He would send His only Son to die for their sin, their mistakes, their failures, and their brokenness.

Romans 9:33 says, “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

This verse says that if we believe in Jesus, the chief cornerstone, we will never be put to shame.  We won’t be ashamed.  How can that be?

On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. He died on the cross so that our human frailty would be covered in the blood of the Lamb. All of our sin, shame, regret and failures were placed upon Him on the cross. He came to the earth as a human to experience weakness so that He could have compassion on our weakness. Jesus’ body and soul were broken on the cross.  He completely understands brokenness.

Believe in Jesus, the cornerstone, and don’t be ashamed. Let His death, His sacrifice, His blood cover all of your weakness, brokenness, and imperfections.  As you come to the foot of the cross and give it ALL to Jesus – the good, the bad and the very ugly – there is an exchange.

You give Him your junk and He gives you His grace.

The Wiersbe Commentary on Ephesians says grace is, “The kindness of God toward undeserving people.” We don’t deserve God’s kindness, but because of grace, He gives it anyway. We are acceptable before God because of His grace.

Even in our weak, broken, and imperfect condition, God accepts us because of His grace.  

Jesus says, 
Come to me…
Give it all to me.
Give me all the areas where you don’t measure up.
Give me those places where you don’t feel good enough.
Give me everywhere where you can’t get it together.
Give me where you are imperfect.
Give me your weakness and brokeness
and receive My grace in exchange.
Believe in Me, and never be put to shame.

Today, let’s thrust every area where we can’t get it together upon Jesus.  When we walk in God’s overwhelming grace, we don’t feel ashamed.  Instead, we feel undeserved acceptance and love by a kind and friendly God.

“…The one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”  Romans 9:33b

Give it all to Jesus. The blood of Jesus, at the foot of the cross, has got it all covered.   In a Pinterest-perfect world, there is grace for your imperfections.

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