This post is a sequel of “just a speck..” which you can read here:

http://daretofollow.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/just-a-speck-2/

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“You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I’m letting go
You lift me up when I can’t see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I’m letting go”

The Afters – “Lift Me Up”

For every stumble, there is a fall…

For every fall, there is a getting back up.

This is what life is all about. In my last post you saw a very dark side of my feelings. You saw the side that had lost hope. I wanted to be very real, raw, and honest about my struggles. Why? Because I think its important that we have some Christians that aren’t afraid to wear their heart on their sleeves. We need Christians that aren’t ashamed to express their true feelings about life, faith, and God. Because we live in a culture that thrives on success and shuns failure, for us to express failure is shameful. We want to live lives of success… who doesn’t? But do we want to live lives of success at the risk of faking it?

“Faking it” has become the new norm. Especially in the church we are so focused on perfection that we neglect the fact that we are imperfect; and that people should expect us to make mistakes, mess up, and receive the grace freely given to us in Christ Jesus. This is something I struggled with throughout my teenage years… and somewhat today. I had the idea that Christianity was just like every other religion: If I do good things, God will love me… If I do bad things, God will hate me. That was my faith life for a very long time… very unrewarding and a life filled with guilt and pressure to be perfect.

Thank God that I have been freed from that kind of living… and have moved on to a genuine, authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. No more checklists, no more fear… just a life filled with love and grace. Let’s make a note though: we must live lives that are obedient to Jesus Christ and His commands for us to experience the freedom of a life full of grace and love. Truth is vital. We must live by the standards Christ laid out for us. The good thing is that when we sin, God will forgive us when we ask. If we live lives of habitual sinning: lives that disregard the purity and intention of God’s grace… then we can never experience true love and grace in Jesus Christ.

I wanted to write this post because I didn’t want people to think I was stuck in a vortex of disappointment, depression, and hopelessness. My relationship with Jesus Christ has given me the victory to live a life full of the fruit of the Spirit and a life connected with the good grace of God. Anytime you see a Christian defeated, it’s only because they have forgotten to claim the promises already given to him by God. The Scriptures are what bring life to us. The Scriptures lead us into a deep intimacy with the Father. Once you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good… you will never want to go back to the life you once lived apart from Him.

So yes, I have lived a life of defeat. I have lived a life completely turned away from God and completely disobedient toward Him. I have lived a life without His unmerited favor. I know what it’s like to taste and see, and then to still turn away… The wonderful thing is once you tasted and seen, it doesn’t mean you won’t turn away… it means that it is difficult to stay turned away… you will always feel empty and then you realize that God was what was filling you and giving you purpose in life.

So the last post was the dark, it was the valley, it was the “shadow of death” if you will. But this post is the light, the mountain, the path to life everlasting. I so desperately wanted to share with you that life is going to be tough. None of us are entitled to a life without pain, loss, and anxiety. Yet, as Christians, we are entitled to a life of victory over pain, loss, and anxiety– because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!

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Inspiration for this post came from the song “Lift Me Up” by The Afters from the album Light Up The Sky.