Hope, faith, and love

i wonder-- have you ever received that e-mail that says something about God uses very flawed people? among other things--

Virgin Mary was a teen (when she conceived)
Peter was a coward
Paul persecuted Christians (viciously)
Jacob was a liar
Moses stuttered
yet they're all great leaders in the Bible.

and the list goes on and on and on. truly, we are humans. we fall misereably. oh so miserably. i have no one confession to make, but i feel like there's an overall discouragement going around. i've felt it myself (no particular instance, just a bit down lately... maybe several things going on or at least in my mind)
i'm tired of sounding like the bad guy, and pointing fingers. i never mean to point fingers, but i always can tell what's not going on right, and it will ultimately hurt the person. i wish i was heard sometimes. :-/

but you know what? i'm tired of all of that--- so guess what-- i love you. i will always love you. fall, fail, hurt yourself. hurt the ones you love-- disregard them.... you're screwing up your own life (you're hurting not only yourself, but God who has an entirely great plan for your life you're blinding yourself to). i'm sorry that you are, and that's why it seemed like i was "pointing" when all i was trying to do was show you a better way. but you think you know better? fine. screw it all up, and when you come back--- here i am. arms wide open... i just love you. i really do.

God still will work through our brokedness. listen--- not beauty on the sin, but on our brokedness. when we break our own selves by separating ourselves from God, when we realize our weaknesses, when we realize our neediness, our unclealiness, God sees beauty in the big teary eyed child full of dirt, scabs, cuts, and scrapes because he sees the innocence that once was there and that He can restore. He sees who He created us to be and His plan for us. we're the apple of His eyes. i hope and pray you believe this or will come to believe this sometime soon, before you hurt yourself even further.

that said--

What a beautiful letdown
painfully uncool
the church of the drop outs, the losers,
the sinners, the failures, and the fools.
What a beautiful letdown
are we salt in the wound?
Let us sing one true tune.

(switchfoot, beautiful letdown)

yeah. God will use us despite our brokedness-- and through our brokedness His glory will shine brighter. :)

Hope and faith and love. but above all of these--- love.