And Jesus said,, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”- Luke 23:34
In Chapter 12 (“Defeatism- It’s Too Late Now”) of AHA, Kyle Idleman observes that “life can reach a point when it feels like things have gone too far.” Like Humpty Dumpty, there are too many broken pieces to put together again. Yet sometimes rock bottom is the best place to be if that’s what it takes for us to experience AHA.
It is never too late. Pastor Idleman states that if ever there was someone who thought it was too late, it was one of the two criminals crucified with Jesus. But something happened to him. He not only defended Jesus, he cried out to Him for help. What made him think it wasn’t too late?
Pastor Idleman is convinced that Jesus’ prayer on the cross was the turning point. Jesus prayed that God would forgive the soldiers who crucified Him. The thief’s heart softened when he experienced the grace Jesus extended to the Roman soldiers.
As the author concludes, we experience defeatism when we rely on our own actions:
” A spirit of defeatism may be reasonable if it all depended on us. . . . A spirit of defeatism comes because we don’t accurately take into account how the Father will respond when we come home.”
Today’s question: To what extent has a spirit of defeatism characterized your desert, land between time? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The blame game”
