TRACES IN THE MIND

Those are the little haunts that come back to bother you like ghosts. Some image or thought that you had before and thought you got rid of that comes back.

Always hate when those take place. They really are so frustrating. It is so much more fun to see life in terms of spiritual maturity.

That being when we stop making the same mistakes. Become more serene and calm over any crisis.

It sounds so wonderful. What a pity it really does seem to work that way. The longer I am along the path of faith the more I appreciate it is not about being perfect.

Spiritual maturity to me is just about being willing to accept your flaws with more understanding. To not get as upset when you fail.

Oh there are the times you do improve. But never perfectly. And that is the part that is hard to accept at times.

So much better it is to come to a point of acceptance. To move ahead in honesty and accept, really accept we are sinners.

I've known so many who thought spiritual maturity meant a sinless life. They have this unrealistic view that they will become able to not sin again.

It isn't even close to the truth and it is like saying I will never make another mistake. Another fantasy.

But then some are so in need of that delusion. They have to have some goal to work towards even if it is a fantasy.

The sad part is how this leads to taking a person away from the Lord. We become so obsessed with being perfect we stop listening to the Lord.

Distance prevails and that leads to more and more gaps in one's ability to truly grow and celebrate grace. That is the key.

For under grace we don't have to be perfect. Just forgiven. And it isn't complicated. God makes sure of that.

But we do manage to complicated it. Like the person I was dealing with one that spoke of babes in Christ.

True was he had never grown in his own understanding. Not truly discovered what faith should have taught with experience.

Pity was he spent so much time preaching at others he had no time to hear the Lord on the subject.