"I've Messed Up!"

I remember receiving a text from a friend one day who sent those very words to me. I panicked, anxiously wondering about the situation and what was messed up. My mind immediately went into hyper-drive, wondering how I could help my friend fix the problem. Oh, I am so good at trying to take the reins and control various situations!

God immediately took control of my heart and said, "Whitney, slow down. You don't know the problem, but I do. I also know the solution. Just be transparent and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts before responding."

I texted my friend, saying, "We've all messed up. I can't tell you the number of times I have made mistakes or hurt Greg or others in my life."

After reflecting on this conversation, I realize what a good God we serve. You see, God's love for me is unconditional. He doesn't love me based on my actions. Thank goodness! He loves me, for His Son loves me. He feels the same about you.

Jesus loved one particular woman so much that He chose to walk through Samaria, a place where Jews would never be seen, on His way to Galilee. John 4:4 says, "He needed to go through Samaria." Jesus knew there was a woman who desperately needed Him and His Word.

Although we don't know her name, we do know her history. When Jesus met her at the well to ask her to draw Him a drink of water, He called her out on having five husbands, and the one who she currently lived with was not one of the five (John 4:18). She was not only shocked that a Jew would request water from a Samaritan but also in His knowledge of her past.

What I love about this scene are the words from a loving Savior. Jesus does not condemn her. He uses this time at the well to point her back to the living water, which He freely offers us all (John 4:13-15). He loved us so much that He died on the cross to give us eternal salvation in a place called Heaven.

Nothing you do can separate you from the love of Jesus (Romans 8:35-39), but something can separate you from eternal life with Him. When we choose to deny Him, believe we are going to Heaven based on our good works, or have hope that everyone will make it into Heaven, we have condemned ourselves to a place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42).

Friend, I want to sit beside you in Heaven, praising Jesus and worshiping Him together. Won't you accept this free gift like the Samaritan woman?

It's okay to mess up—we all have—but it's not okay to stay that way. God has so much more in store for your life than what this world has to offer.