By Jasmine Perdue

“God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  Romans 5:8 NLT

I was reading a devotional that talked about funny things we as humans do.  One of his examples was we always brush our teeth and floss really well before we go into the dentist to get our teeth cleaned.  We do these things in an effort to cover up the real conditions.  Like brushing and flossing right before our appointment is going to make a difference whether or not we are diagnosed with cavities.  We simply cannot cover up the last six months to a year of not practicing good oral hygiene the day of our appointment.

So what about spiritually speaking?  How many times do we think we have to clean our act up before meeting with God?  How many times do we try in our own strength to be what we think the perfect Christian woman should be?  How many times do we feel like we have blown it so bad that the Lord would not possibly listen or speak to us?

The truth is, as humans, our flesh is weak.  We cannot be perfect no matter how hard we try.

There will be times we speak when we shouldn’t have, when we lose our temper, when we are slow to forgive, when we struggle with pride, when we are jealous and even struggle with discontentment. We are fallen people in a fallen world.

BUT, the verse above does NOT say Christ died for us while we were perfect.  No, it says, “while we were yet sinners…”

God says, “No, no. You do not have to clean up your act.  Just bring it all to me.  Bring me all your problems.  Bring me all of your struggles.  Bring me all of your pain.  Bring me all of your addictions.  Bring me all of your disappointments.  Come just as you are.

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

God loves you no matter your failures and shortcomings.  He gave His very life to die for you just the way you are.  So stop running.  Stop trying to be perfect.  Stop trying in your own strength.  In Him, you will find help and rest.

God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. God is asking you to believe a promise that only He can keep.

A Note About Jasmine:

I am a wife of six years to my husband Devin and a mother to our one year-old son Landon.  I am a homemaker and absolutely love it.  I grew up in a Christian home and received Christ at a very young age.  As I became an adult, experienced some independence and entered the workplace, I unfortunately allowed the world to influence my life in a very negative way.  I wondered away from the Lord and His standards and found myself in some debilitating health conditions that pulled me out of the workplace.

I knew the Lord had been dealing with me for a while and I refused to listen.  I believe because of my disobedience, the Lord decided to remove me physically from my job and my peers.  At first it seemed like we were not going to be able to pay our bills and over the next two years I lost two children.

BUT, what was some of the darkest times in my life God has used to bring me back to Himself in a way that is indescribable.  He got me to a place where I was totally dependent on Him for my marriage, my health, our finances, and the future family we were trying so hard for.  During this season I sought the Lord in a way I never had before.  I experienced His financial provisions every month, my marriage became stronger, and I experienced His powerful peace and grace in loss that was unexplainable.

Four years ago the Lord turned my whole world upside down and it has been an unbelievable blessing ever since.  God is faithful.  God is just.  God provides.  I am so thankful that God did not give up on me. He never turned His back on me.  I never strayed too far not to be forgiven.  He drew me back to Himself and my faith has never been stronger.

I desire so much to encourage women to be radically different in their walks with Christ…to experience His presence, true fulfillment and happiness in the place He has called you to be.  I am honored to share in this life journey with you.