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I heard a great message yesterday morning. I will summarize my take away.

Like many who grow up in a religious context, guilt and shame are part of the package. They are used to motivate, control, prescribe and separate. Even though they come from the desire for right living, they are the wrong motive. We often feel that making someone feel less about themselves will somehow give them a desire to act better.

I read John 8 today. Wow.

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

Think about every relationship you have for a minute.

Are you always humble and gentle? Do you make allowance for their faults? A pretty tall calling? Not my words. Being always humble and gentle is a life worthy of our calling. Let’s not make any excuses with talk of personality difference. The more like Jesus I am, the more patient I will be, making allowance for the faults of others.

God’s grace and love never reaches a human-like limit. The depth of His compassion is always deeper than my depravity. The expanse of His faithfulness always has more reach than my faithlessness. His patience with my failings far exceeds any understanding of love I can fathom.