A Thought For The Week Of September 30

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:15) How many people live with regret or guilt burdening them and weighing them down. Probably all of us to a certain extent. We look back at our lives and wonder why we didn't do "that" or - maybe even worse - we shake our heads and say, "I shouldn't have done that. What was I thinking?" And maybe we think it more often than we care to admit. And that weight can be a burden to bear. One thing we know is that even from the perspective of the Bible we're not alone. Paul knew that he had left some things undone; Paul knew that there were things he should have turned away from. But he was human. He couldn't. And the world judges Christians harshly at times. Because for the most part what Jesus asks of us is pretty clear - even to non-believers - and how we actually respond is equally clear. And people notice our shortcomings, don't they. God notices them too, of course - but the good news is that God is far more forgiving and compassionate than the world. God's grace is our reality, a grace revealed by Jesus. It allows us to let go of the past and all its failures, to move beyond guilt at things done or not done, and to live as best we can as disciples of Christ. Paul finished his reflections on this issue with the words, "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord." Thanks be to God, indeed. Words that should come from all of us. Have a great week.