There's a song by Mercy Me, called “Even If,” and it ends with being well in my soul. How many times are we in that moment that we have to say, “even if,” and end up being well in our soul? That's what followers of Christ know.
How many times are we struggling but even if we are doing the wrong thing we can be right in our soul? For me, it is almost an everyday thing. I find myself doing the wrong thing, but ending up being well in my soul.
When we are coming to Christ we have a ton of work. Those who are devoted followers of Christ have issues to overcome. We all make mistakes, but we end up being well with God.
Sometimes those issues are caused by others, doing their will upon us. Sometimes it is our walk that causes our grief. Regardless, we all have our “even if” moments. We know that He is there for us no matter what the situation.
I attended the No Regrets Men's Conference in Milwaukee last month. One of the sessions by Dan Seaborn focuses on Parenting Skills. I thought his parenting presentation would make a perfect keynote.
Dan struggled with his work, teaching people how to be great parents. knowing that is daughter went wayward for years, putting herself in life-threatening situations.
Challenging to Teach
He spoke of how he struggled to do presentations, knowing that things were not well in his own home. But, Dan stuck to what he knew is right, and what is right brought his daughter back safe. He is well in his soul.
It doesn't matter who you are. Challenges cause us to do the wrong thing. It is what we do as humans and imperfect people. So what is the difference between being a follower of Christ, and anyone else?
We have peace knowing that we will see our errors, that we are aiming to please God, and that we have his forgiveness for our sins. That's how at the end of the day we can be well in our soul.
Having Christ on our side gives us the freedom to admit our errors, to address them, and to work to correct them. We don't have to carry the guilt from our mistakes, but that we can free ourselves knowing that we are following a path to living a better life.
Keep in mind, that even if we are Christian, we are not a better person than a non-Christian. But, we have the Lord on our side to show us the way to be a better person than we are today. Our focus is on becoming Christ-like, and Christ is the only one who is perfect.
I know there is a stigma that Church-going Christians are held to a higher standard, by both Christians and the secular world. Then there are those Church communities who are clear that we are all sinners, and that we are here to love one another no matter what.
Broken But Well In My Soul
Know that we as Christians are broken people, who are working on getting better, and be better people. We think of the Church as a hospital for our soul. We are going to get better.
That's why “Even If” by “Mercy Me” is such an inspiring song for me. Bart and the band are telling you, that no matter how much time you are spending with the Lord, we are all working on our walk with Christ, and he makes sure we are well in our soul.