The Fault in our Stars...er Selves

Two years back I read The Fault in Our Stars.  The title, as I see it, really means "The Fault with

God."  It's an understandable issue, especially for the characters who are struggling to find a reason for the existence of their lives and the universe mixed with the fact that they are teens terminally ill with cancer.

I wanted to turn the question of fault, though, to ourselves.

Many of us, who grow up in church often hear phrases about The Fault in Ourselves like this:

You are a poor, miserable sinner.

Don't trust yourself because you are fallen.

Your heart is deceitful above all things.

Jesus, I want less of me, and more of you.

You are nothing, God is everything.

This seems so pious, so religious, so good, but it's also problematic.  If taken to its full course, you might as well say, I'm a pile of crap that can't do anything good, so Jesus should inhabit my body and turn me into a God-robot.

Didn't Jesus say, "My sheep know my voice" (John 10:27)  and "You don't need anyone to teach you." (1 John 2:27) and "shine like stars" (Phil. 2:15)?  This means that Jesus actually trusts His followers.  He knows that they know him, like they know anyone they love, and even have the ability to follow His heart and ways even without constant instruction.

On the other hand, yes, we must recognize our inherent faults or weaknesses.  This is beneficial in any relationship.  I have to be honest with my wife.  She knows my weaknesses.  She knows how I can get overstressed, for example, or how sometimes I avoid asking for help, when I really should.

So, I think we need a balance here.

I am not a worthless piece of sinning crap; I am an invaluable son of the living God.
While I am an invaluable son of the living God, I still need His grace to follow Him.
And yet, the more I live in the Father's affection, the more I naturally live in ways that honor Him and bless others.

And, guess what? He even trusts me.  Weird, right?  But the Father's love does that-it makes you become the person He always dreamed you could be.