Character Builders

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Hebrews 12:1

If you’ve played sports or music, you might give a shudder and a smile at the term “character builder.” Memories of endless rounds of warm-ups and drills are commonly referred to as character builders. And those exercises come with their fair share of tumbles and mess-ups.

All of us—at one time or another, again and again—stumble and fall. But the good news is, we can pick ourselves up and continue running our race. And we can be better for it.

Remember: God is bigger than any of your past mistakes. Jesus has redeemed your life so that you are forgiven for your sins in the past, you are graced with a fresh start today, and you have solid hope for the future.

Don’t believe the lie that somewhere along the way you have been disqualified for stumbling or for being weak. Instead, get back up and keep building that character. You are not out of time. God will give you enough time to do all that He has called you to do. As long as you have breath in your lungs and your heart is still beating, there is always hope and always a future. Your falls and your failures cannot keep Jesus’ perfect plan for you from unfolding.

Lord, thank You for helping me to get up when I stumble, stay on track when I fail, and always trust You who guides, strengthens, and redeems.