Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Have you broken them yet? Any of them?
A new year is a time of new beginnings—we declare all kinds of good intentions for better health, more Bible reading, a kinder disposition. However, as Robert Burns once said, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” * And so we break those resolutions, we break the promises that we made to ourselves (or perhaps others), we break the diet, the exercise regimen, the Bible reading plan. Let’s face it, we’re broken people.
Believe it or not, that’s right where God wants you. It’s the very place from which he called you. He didn’t say, “Get your act together and come by my church when you’ve got it all figured out.” Rather, he said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t expect us to be perfect—he expects us to be burdened, tired, worn, and weary. He expects us to be broken, and he delights in putting us back together. As he once told one of his broken apostles: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
That’s something to think about.
⃰To a Mouse, by Robert Burns: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley.
Westside Church of Christ 