Whenever we go on a trip we get so excited, we plan ahead, we make all the arrangements, we talk about it for weeks, sometimes months.  We tell others about it, we pack ahead of time, we might even buy new things to take along.  For those few days leading up to the trip it consumes our time.  When we arrive we enjoy all of it, we take it in because our level of excitement for the going was so high that we want to soak it all up, not miss anything.

We all go different places for different reasons, but we all do this don’t we?  It is true, maybe to a different level or degree depending on where we are going and why, but we do it.  Then that point comes where we say.  "I can’t wait to tell so and so about this".  Why is it that we can be on the most amazing trip and still think of home?  Because regardless of where we are home is where we have emotionally attached ourselves to.  You can be on the most exciting trip to the most exciting place you have ever been, but have you ever noticed that it isn’t complete somehow until you have gone home, sat in your home, reflected on the experience and then shared it with the people who are in your life.  That completes the trip because it connects it to the life you live everyday, it attaches it to the people and the place you are emotionally attached to.

All of our experiences in life are the same way.  When something exciting happens in our life, we want to share it with those closest to us to have someone to celebrate with.  When something not so good happens, we go to those closest to us to get support, help, encouragement, and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on.  The people we think of on those trips and say "I can’t wait to tell so and so about this!" are likely the same people who hear about all the other things in our life every day.  So here is a question-Who is that person in your life?

For every one of us there is someone who is waiting to hear about everything.  About our trips-yes.  About our experiences-yes.  Whether good bad indifferent-yes.  Even if we have bags we packed years ago in our life, and have carried around on this trip, we can unpack them, talk about them, even cry over them if we have to.  Every experience, every moment, He is waiting to listen.  It is just a matter of coming home and desiring to share it.  Even if you haven’t talked to Him in prayer for a while, He is still waiting because like those in your life who want to hear about your trip, He wants to hear about your life and all that is in it.  The Lord is always there, always listening, and always understanding. (Ps 139:7-12 , Heb 4:15-16 )  So, like coming home, go to the Lord in prayer, tell Him what has been happening, what you have been experiencing.  Celebrate with Him, receive the help strength and shelter you need from Him. (Heb 4:16 , Ps 18:31-33, Ps 91:1-2 )

"I messed up again!"  How many times have you uttered those words?  If those words have crossed your lips or your mind, I am sure if you are like me, it has happened more times then you care to think about.  There are those times we say "stop even thinking about it" or "your attitude is going to get you in trouble" or "if you don’t get yourself out of this situation you are going to regret it later".  None of us are capable of keeping ourselves free of wrongdoing on our own.  Unfortunately we all know that.  Sometimes we hate to admit it, but we realize that we can’t cleanse ourselves after we mess up.

We know God cannot stand the sight of sin.  In the moment Christ died on the cross He became sin for us, separated from God because God could not stand to be a part of sin. (Mk 15:34 , Matt 27:46 )   So then what confidence do we have that He is going to forgive us once again when we mess up?  Mercy.  Hebrews 4:15-16 says "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4:15-16 NIV )  If we are confident in God’s promises, and willing to remain on His Anvil, then we know He is going to fulfill His promise to give us mercy and grace when we mess up.

When God molds us part of the process is removing things He doesn’t like looking at in our lives.  If we believe that, then we need to go to Him and say "I messed up again!"  when we do. Why?  Because like us, He understands what being tempted is, but unlike us, He is without sin.  He is capable of helping us in our time of need, removing from us that burden, and giving us the mercy we seek.  Then, once we receive that mercy, we need to ask Him to keep molding us into the person He desires for us to be, remembering that we need Him to accomplish that task in our lives.  Mercy is often followed by a lesson.  It is in the lesson that we learn how to be the person God desires us to be.  Once we have gone to the Lord and cried out "I messed up again" and received His mercy, we need to be people listening for the lesson by ensuring we are in prayer.

If this is the first time you have ever gone to God and said "I messed up", or if you are thinking about it, you can read about the first time I did the very same thing at Reaching Home Plate Safe .