I have a lot of faults. Ask my family or my closest friends and they’ll certainly agree. I’m flawed, but one thing is true: I’m me. I’m not trying to justify said flaws; rather, I’m writing this to you, personally, as a form of encouragement. Do you know what else is true? The Lord knows more about my faults than even I do, and yet, He calls me His brother and His friend!

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
-Hebrews 2:11-12

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
-John 15:15-17

If you are a believer, consider yourself a member of Jesus’ family. Likewise, consider other believers members of your family, too. We all have earthly families and will rightly concede that all members have issues. None of us are even remotely close to being perfect (heck, we aren’t even qualified to make such judgements).

We must learn to live with the fact that everyone is different. This exercise begins with ourselves, by ourselves, for ourselves.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
-Psalm 139:13-16

I have two grandchildren at the writing of this blog and it’s incredible how very different and beautifully made they are. At birth, still unaffected by worldly stimuli, they arrived exactly as God intended them to be…different. As we grow up, people will continually “arrive” in our lives just as God intended them to be, as well.

We don’t accept individuals based on our judgment of their weaknesses (or even their strengths). We accept them the same way Jesus accepted others, in love. If we fail in this, we have some growing up to do. If others fail towards us, we pray for them, for they are exhibiting their own weaknesses.

Please be encouraged, my friend; but allow me to add that I’m not proposing you become flippant about your own faults (that is certainly an issue the Lord wishes you to pray to Him about).

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
-2 Peter 1:3-10

When I look out at my congregation from behind my pulpit, I’m always amazed at the amount of love I see between them. You might say such an eclectic group of people would never be gathered so comfortably together were they not bound by the love of Christ. I know them all, personally. I know many of their strengths and weaknesses and they know each other’s, too. We are all very different, at different stages of spiritual growth; yet, in love we relish our time together. It’s a beautiful thing.

As stewards of God’s grace, we are called to judge one another righteously based on Holy Scripture (ala Galatians 6:1); however, our habit ought to be love and acceptance of one another, especially regarding those members of God’s family, our heavenly family.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
-Romans 15:1-7

You are unique. You are wonderfully made. Embrace this truth in others but never forget the person in the mirror.

Love being yourself.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins