Read: Genesis 3: 1-21

We all fail. At one point or another, we will fall down flat on our faces proving that we are all but perfect. But after our fall, where are we left? Often enough we are left with little more than the feelings of guilt, shame and regret. Moreover, it seems to not be enough that our own convictions and emotions reinforce these feelings, rather other people often want to make sure these feelings hit home. Having been the granddaughter of a pastor and growing up in church, along with the experience in ministry God has allowed me to experience, I would have to say that often enough these people are not nonbelievers, rather they are fellow brethren.

Often, people do not even realize they are doing it. It must be our human nature. Something in us makes it so hard to forgive people when they have fallen. Something in us makes it so hard just to show love and mercy to one another. Rather, we seek retribution. Punishment of some sort that we can be witnesses to just to make sure this person has learned their lesson. However, as christians we have been called to emulate Christ in all we do.

Please, don't get me wrong... This is not the case with all Christians nor am I saying that consequences do not follow our actions. What I am trying to do is point out how God in His perfection handles our many failures. After the fall of men, God awarded the appropriate punishment to each party involved. But after all of this, God did not degrade them, rather He clothed them. Though the bible outlines God covering them physically, He also covered them emotionally. Upon eating the forbidden fruit, both Adam and Eve were overcome by shame upon realizing they were naked. By providing clothes for them, God was satisfying their emotional pain that followed their disobedience. He was clothing them in His mercy.

Moreover, the bible doesn't tell us that He made clothes and threw them at them in disgust. Nor did He have to reiterate how lucky they were that He was making them clothes. With God there is no “rubbing it in”. There are no “I told you so's”. Rather it says that He, the God of the universe, clothed them. This begs the question, if the God that spoke the universe into existence, telling the stars where to stay and how bright to shine, who is free from sin and any type of shortcoming, can love, forgive and clothe those that have failed, why can't we? May we learn Godly mercy and forgiveness. A mercy and forgiveness that knows no boundaries as it is this mercy and love that demonstrates the love that leads to restoration.

Let us clothe those who hurt in His mercy. May we be there with those that have fallen, hand in hand, hearts intertwined. May we carry each others burdens and be shoulders for those that truly need it. But may we also realize that no matter what the shortcoming that someone else is facing, it bears no greater or lesser weight before the throne of the Living, Perfect, Almighty, All-loving and Holy God than any sin that we have committed. May we love others with the love that we have
received. May we work together to restore the broken, never forgetting that at one moment we have been in that position as we have all sinned and come short of the
glory of God. And lastly, may we never forget that nothing in us makes us
worthy of His mercy and forgiveness, rather He extends it
to us just because He loves us so much.

In His Amazing Love,
Natalie Mercedes