Comments on: Watching the wrong movies.

By: jack42

jack42 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:15:43 +0000

missed this the first time. I eat, drink, and breathe my failure. I can't imagine how anyone else can NOT see every way in which I'm a failure. It is before and behind and all around me.

And yet all my friends think I'm wonderful; they can't see how I can think I'm a failure. If they only knew, they would beat me, shun me, be totally out of my life, and they would see to it that no one else ever made the mistake of associating with me. They couldn't possibly love me or accept me, for I am the worst person in the world.

God knows the truth of me, maybe even a bit better than I do.

I can kind of handle and accept the things that God "doesn't": He doesn't hate me. He doesn't have plans to destroy me. He doesn't want me to live in misery.

And I've manufactured a whole list of things God "must": He must be tired of me committing the same sins over and over. He must have lost His patience with me by now. He must be ready to let me live in the full consequences of all my wrong decisions.

And I forget (ignore?) some things that God "does": He DOES love me. He DOES want to bless me in spite of my sin. He DOES want me to live in full submission to Him. He DOES see me through, even in the midst of my wrong decisions.

Thank you, Jon, for making me cry (on Serious Saturday, no less!), for showing me a great new flick in town, and for showing me more of the heart of The Father Who LOVES me.

By: Lea Ann

Lea Ann — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:37:41 +0000

So…. I used to do the very same thing! It would be 2 AM, and I'd feel my face go pink as I quickly covered my head with the covers and re-lived the embarrassing parts of my day. THEN – an epiphany (and it wasn't God reminding me as He reminded you)…. somewhere in my city – there wasn't a person at 2 AM suddenly awakened going, "WAIT remember that GIRL on the subway who totally tripped and almost fell as she went to her seat?! That was hi-larious!"

It then occurred to me that I was the only one to extend the embarrassment to more than the actual minutes the incident occurs.

DANGIT – I just realized I'm talking embarrassing moments and you were talking about things you weren't happy you did. Different.

Sorry.

By: Megan B

Megan B — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:17:43 +0000

I was out of town last week so I didn't read this until Monday, but I loved the message! It was so poignant to what I'm hearing this week that I linked it in a recent blog post (http://abyrdinhishands.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-p... Thanks so much for the reminder of what Romans 8:1 REALLY says!

By: justinesarah

justinesarah — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:35 +0000

wow i'm behind on scl – i blame midterms.
this post is just what i needed. i do this so often, it can be so painful. i'm lucky to have a great memory, but unfortunately i never forget the regrets and failures.
there is no condemnation.
i'm going to write that on my whiteboard.
thanks, as usual

By: Reads of the week 14 « Hope In Love

Reads of the week 14 « Hope In Love — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:20:05 +0000

[...] Watching the wrong movies (Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff – @prodigaljohn) [...]

By: shortcamplover

shortcamplover — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:44:46 +0000

This is the third Wednesday in a row I have come REEEALLY close to crying in the library. Thank you

By: Linkin’ Log « Sonflower

Linkin’ Log « Sonflower — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:20:37 +0000

[...] Watching the wrong movies not what you think it’s about! [...]

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:44:47 +0000

So true, Jon. My problem is seeing the difference between the Spirit using the Word to convict me of sin and Satan using the Word to condemn me in my sin. I think I usually get it wrong…

By: soulful

soulful — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:36:44 +0000

Great post. Thank you.

By: Can we have Jon Acuff instead of our vicar? « Secretly Awesome

Can we have Jon Acuff instead of our vicar? « Secretly Awesome — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:23:36 +0000

[...] This post is particularly good. [...]