*Previously Published this Post, but did some editing and wanted to republish it on here.

Why do I so often find myself lapsing into these misconceptions about my walk with Christ? Thankfully God continues to move on my life and reveal Himself in new ways to me. However, I know from observing and talking with friends and fellow believers, that my misgivings and misunderstandings about God and my status in Christ are not unique to me. As Followers of Christ, many of us often make these same mistakes.

We are so practical and pragmatic. We figure it all out, only to see our calculations add up incorrectly again and again.

We try to earn God's Grace, Love, and Mercy. We trick ourselves into believing we can reason with God's will–perhaps make a compromise. We beat ourselves up after we fall, wondering what the appropriate time should be before we are worthy to approach God for forgiveness. We fail to see the folly even in thinking that some amount of penance can make us worthy to approach the Holy Presence of God. We deny the truth that God requires nothing but sincere repentance. We ignore the truth that God stands with open arms beckoning us home. We fail to grasp the fact that God chose us. We could do nothing of ourselves to move towards His righteous self. Why do we feel the intense need to insert ourselves so heavily in the story of God's grace? We have nothing to do with it besides the fact that we are the Redeemed. We are the Trash He took and transformed. Even our most holy works are filthy in comparison to His immaculate Perfection. We have taken up burdens He never meant for us to carry. We say we are free, but we're bogged down more than ever in guilt. We have mocked His sacrifice by attempting to save ourselves. We have taken the guilt of our failures and made pitiful efforts at resolution. We are too proud to admit that we can do nothing to remedy our sinful natures. We are too wise to believe that God's Grace is Free. His Love is Eternal. We are too serious to believe that He takes delight in our conversation with Him. We are so guarded that we cannot understand His emphasis on relationships. We are so busy that we fail to take the time to live out our call to follow Him. We are so skeptical that we question His motive. We are so jaded that we doubt His love. We are so advanced that we reason away His miracles. We are so comfortable that we are blinded to His blessings. We are so religious that we lose His relation. We are so dogmatic that we leave no room for His Spirit to work. We need to get back to the Heart. We need to find who we are in Him. We need to lift our eyes to Him. We must realize that He is our only Hope. He is the Essence of all Good. There is nothing of ourselves to merit salvation and the only thing we can do is fall on our knees in repentance and trust that His Word is true when He said He would forgive us. We must believe.