New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22-23 (AMPC)

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.”

I don’t know about you, but I often struggle with perfectionism. I like to do a job right the first time. I like to be the best or to do the absolute best that I can do. I am always striving to be better and do more. Maybe it’s my competitive nature. Maybe it’s my personality and upbringing. Whatever it is that drives me to reach father and accomplish more, perfectionism is exhausting! The other issue with perfectionism is that I often measure my worth by what I accomplish or how I stack up to others. It makes it difficult to start a job that feels overwhelming or to start something I am not sure I can do well the first time. Perfectionism often feels like bondage, and it keeps me from accomplishing anything when the outcome is uncertain.

This often spills over into my walk with the Lord. I will find myself unwilling to try again, feeling as if all hope is lost if I’ve made a mistake or fallen into sin. The voice of the enemy is right there in my ear, reminding me how much I’ve screwed up and how far from perfection I am.

That’s why this verse is so meaningful to me. God isn’t expecting perfection from us. We are fallen creatures. We sin. We fall short. All of us. All the time. And while that can feel a bit hopeless and overwhelming, it’s the reason God sent His Son Jesus to die on our behalf. Because we couldn’t save ourselves. We couldn’t do anything in our own power to overcome the chasm that sin had created. So God did it for us! He did what we couldn’t do. He still does. Every single day.

Everyday I can bring to Him my failures and my flaws, and He will overcome them by His own mercy and grace, and so it’s never been about my performance. It’s always been about His love and mercy! Always! And that’s freeing!

So if you’ve fallen short….if you’re struggling with the voice of the enemy in your ear reminding you of all the ways you’ve screwed it up….take comfort! God’s grace and mercy is new every morning. It never gets old. It never wears out. It never runs out. It’s a never-ending, new supply. Every. Single. Day!

Prayer: Father, thank you for all the ways you bridge the gap between where I’m at and where you are. Thank you that it isn’t about performance and it isn’t about perfection. Instead, you desire a relationship with me. You want me to come to you with my broken and bruised, so that you can make it better. Thank you that you did for me what I could never do for myself. And thank you that your mercy is new every morning. There’s not a limit. There won’t be a day when you tell me I’ve fallen to far, I’ve done too much, and that there’s no mercy or love left for me. No! It is never-ending. It is always new. It is always abundant. That’s amazing grace. Thank you! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!