As i was clearing my garden this morning, the image of the weed choking my little Heliconia plant. From the bottom of the stem, it twisted and curled all the way upwards, stealing light and nutrients and restricting growth. It probably had been there for sometime, but i had done nothing about it, and obviously, neither had Mr Heliconia.
It sounds quite like us, huh? In our journey on this side of heaven, we often let seemingly small "evils" creep in our lives, and before we know it, our faith is under fire, and our whole life foundations are shaken, and we struggle even to live.
Over the weekend, we were told about the fall of a popular youth Pastor in the Planetshakers Chruch, Mike Guglielmucci. Apparently, he had lied about his cancer illness as a cover-up for his addiction to pornography. This news devastated so many of the church members, including Hillsongs Australia who had allowed him to be part of their latest album. But more than that, it had deeply wounded his parents, high profile pastors, Danny Guglielmucci and his wife, as well as his own family. "Little" sins from his youth had caught up with him. "Small" sins crept in subtly, and choked his life and his faith.
We may not be able to understand why he did such a thing, and we may be absolutely disappointed at his failures. But then again, which one of us has not failed at some point or other? And which one of us is not flawed?
The gospel of grace, which is the heart and core of the message of Christ, is that despite all our weaknesses and failures, God still loves us. And because He loves us so much, He gave Christ for us, so we can have hope again. Forgiven by God Himself, and loved by the Creator, we can live with renewed faith and strength.
As i heard the testimonies from his dad, and from his chruch members, i am thankful that they are a forgiving people, embracing Mike in this time of difficulty. And i am glad that in a way, Mike came out to tell the truth, and God, in His grace will restore him to be a better man.
