Jesus is Not a Band-Aid

Jesus is not a band-aid to stick over failure. His grace is not something to let us slip into complacency.

I say this because I see a sad trend in our culture, especially among young women in high school through young motherhood: we don't put effort into our daily lives, instead opting to Netflix and whine, and then when we fail our exams and our homes fall apart, we shrug our shoulders and say, "It's okay, because Jesus loves me."

I realize this is a fine line to discuss. It is very true and very wonderful that Jesus indeed loves us and shows us grace beyond understanding. It is also very true that we are imperfect sinners and will fail more often than not. However, we can't allow His grace to become the band-aid we stick over our own lack of effort. We can't allow His love to become the "dog ate my homework" excuse we use to feel okay with what very well may be laziness. Instead, when we do legitimately fail (failing a math test after studying for hours, getting sick and losing track of housework, forgetting a project we had due) and can lean on His grace, it should be a motivation for us to do better to glorify Him in all we say and do.

It should not be "It's okay that I choose to procrastinate and complain and waste time when I know what I should be doing, because Jesus loves me," or "It's okay that I do this halfheartedly because I'd rather be watching a movie or scrolling online or entertaining myself in some other way," but rather, "I can do all things through Him that gives me strength," and "Do everything for the glory of God."

God can give you the strength and motivation to get through your day and do all things well, much better than a cup of coffee. His love should not make you okay with a lack of effort and motivation. It should make you passionate to do all things well for His glory, to shine as a light in the darkness of our lazy 21st century world, to grow closer to Him in our walk (not our sit and be okay with where we are at) through faith in this world.

Praise Him for His grace and lovingkindness. But let us strive to make our calling sure. Let us perform well for Him, because He in His love has given us the ability to do so.