I wrote about my husband’s paddle wheel boat he created in Redeemed Hulls. As a follow up, we went on vacation this week and got to try it out for the first time. David has poured countless hours into creating this boat over the last year and we were both ready to see how it was going to work. We chose a small creek that empties into the gulf near Keaton Beach as the launching place of the David’s creation. It was around low tide so the level of the creek was down a little bit, but we didn’t need a whole lot of water to run the boat in anyway. About 15 minutes into our excursion, we hit a sand bar that was barely covered with water. The weld on the paddle wheel broke, the bearing broke, and the boat stopped moving. David was shattered. All that time and effort now seemed for naught. He got out of the boat and checked the paddle. After declaring it “unfixable” we turned on the trolling motor and continued our fishing trip. Within just a few minutes David was already scheming on how to use the same hull to create something new. He is determined not to let one little mess up keep him from having a boat that works and is dependable.

As Christians, the same thing can happen with us. We pour several months or years into learning how to follow Christ. We battle temptations, sins, addictions, and old habits. We learn the discipline of prayer and quiet times with the Lord. We begin taking care of our physical bodies so that was can serve Him better. We daily sacrifice and practice obedience. Hours upon hours we invest in doing everything we can to honor God with our lives. We get rid of the old and trust God to make us new. But then, what happens when we mess up? What happens if we give into a sin or temptation? What happens when we get hurt, become bitter, or harbor unforgiveness? All that hard work and time that we have invested seems for naught…

But it wasn’t wasted! The difference now is that we have learned to place our trust and hope in Christ, not ourselves. We now desire to be holy, pure, and clean. When we “mess up” we take it to Jesus, hit our knees, confess it, ask for his forgiveness, and continue on in our walk with Christ. He loves us just as we are, especially when we are struggling or hurting. When I was younger and this happened, I just gave up. If I “messed up” I figured I had gone too far for Christ to reach me. I totally missed the concept of God’s amazing grace.

I heard a preacher explain it this way. He said that if you miss a meal, you don’t just give up on eating for the rest of your life. No! You start back at the very next mealtime. The same is true with your walk with Christ. There are going to be times when we give in to temptation. There are going to be times when we get deeply hurt. There will be times when it just doesn’t seem like we are making any headway by living for Christ and it seems like we are running into walls on every side. But we can’t just stop! God is bigger than our sin, that’s why he sent Jesus to die in our place! Don’t believe the lie that it was all a waste of time. Don’t believe the lie that you are better off not trying. Never stop seeking him. The road may seem tough for a while, but a life spent with Christ is always worth it.