I’ve been reading a devotional book called The Finishing Touch: Becoming God’s Masterpiece: A Daily Devotional by Charles R.Swindoll. In one of his devotions he asks “What is your favorite feeling?” I immediately thought of my worst feeling. The worst feeling in the world is feeling like a failure. I get a knot in my stomach, my shoulders slump, and my eyes are downcast. I have had that feeling many times in my life. My whole life I spent trying to please my Dad and others. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. I had to be the perfect daughter, the perfect friend, the perfect everything. I transferred that desire to please to God as well. However, since I am human and a sinner, I never felt like I could please God enough. He was, well, God. I felt I was constantly letting him down. I always felt like a failure. At one point, I even gave up. I thought, “I will never be good enough and never, ever do the right thing all the time”. Then something wonderful happened. I read a verse in the Bible, that said “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9. I had read this verse before, but that day it spoke to me loud and clear. There wasn’t ANYTHING I did or didn’t do that gave me God’s stamp of approval. I could not BE good enough. It was all done for me by Jesus at the cross.
I know my title is misleading, here I am asking you about your favorite feeling and then I tell you about my least favorite feeling. But, here is the point: feeling the failure in this instance, then feeling that relief, gave me my favorite feeling of all: PEACE. I have peace with God and peace with myself. Yes, I still screw up and I fail. I still disappoint the people around me, but with GOD I have peace. That is the most amazing and wonderful feeling.
If you are interested in this book I’ve attached an affiliate link.
Ligia