I’m a fan of the Biggest Loser. What I love about the show is that everybody thinks they are doing SO much work on the treadmill and then Jillian comes to shread their pathetic egos by telling them that they have only just begun to feel pain. And do you know what happens EVERY time. They argue with her. First of all, I would not argue with that woman. She’ll hurt you. Secondly, have these people seen the show? Don’t they realize that she’s not gonna stop until you do more than you think you can? Might as well anty up and get going. The complaining isn’t going to stop the wrath of Jillian anyway.

It reminds me of a quote from Winston Churchill – “It is not enough that we do our best, sometimes we have to do what is required.” It is easy to say things like, “Well, I’ve done my best and it wasn’t good enough.” or “I did everything I could, but I fell short.” What if that wasn’t an option? What if failure isn’t on the docket? What if you had to do your best and then do MORE?

Welcome to the picture a successful person. They do all that they can and then they push themselves past that point and do what it takes to accomplish the goal. What area of your life do you need to push yourself in right now? Do you need to lose weight? Save your marriage? Fight for your children?

Guess what? Your best isn’t good enough in any of these circumstances. You’ve got to do your best and then do MORE than that. That “more” may be the very strength of God or it may be a change in your mental perspective. It may be an accountability partner or a change of environment, but whatever it takes, you’ve got to stop using “your best” as an excuse to accept failure.

Failure isn’t an option. Just call me Jillian.

Sometimes we all say or do something that we wish we could take back. Mark had one of those moments yesterday.

Picture this…a sweet little girl was eating a cupcake yesterday morning in our church. He told her the frosting smelled funny and when she went to sniff it for herself, he bumped it into her nose. Frosting smooshed on her cute face! At that moment, any little girl would do one of two things…laugh or cry. You guessed it…she cried. UGH! What a heart wrenching moment! Mark, of course, immediately aplogized, but limped away feeling two inches tall.

As he was telling me the story on the way home, he said, “I’m going to the store to buy Laura a new cupcake!” So, off we went to pick out the most amazing cupcake he could find. He found a chocolate filled cupcake with chocolate frosting and shaved chocolate on top. It was fit for a princess! He had the bakery put it in a little white box and off he went to knock on the door of an eight year old with a bruised heart.

When we arrived, she wasn’t home, so he wrote a note on the box. “Laura – Sometimes boys can be dumb. I’m sorry. 🙁 Pastor Mark”. He left it there, hoping that he could heal a wound that he wished he had never caused.

Why am I humilitating my husband to tell this story? Because there are so many lessons to learn! First of all, don’t smoosh cupcakes into the face of a little girl. Secondly, apologies are best done with action. Words are awesome, but there’s something to be said for a hand-delivered replacement cupcake with a note of humility.

The third lesson is one I will never forget.

A couple of hours later we walked out of our front door and there on our front step was a card. Inside it read, “Pastor Mark – I forgive you. Thanks for the treat. See you Sunday. Sincerely, Laura”. What’s the lesson? Forgive quickly and allow people back into your heart.

I’ve been on the receiving end of people who are offended and the last words that I hear them say are much different than “See you Sunday.” And yet, in the heart of an 8 year old, is a deep wisdom. Why sever an important relationship over a mistake? And the best part about it…Mark and Laura will have a deeper relationship than ever before. Together they walked through a conflict appropriately and I know that God will grow that bond through it. They will probably laugh about this in the years to come!

So, thank you to Laura for teaching us all a valuable lesson. Sometimes a little child is the best example of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

This verse was part of my daily Bible reading yesterday. What a picture of God’s love for us! The word “lavish” is such a descriptive word. It reminds me of a day at the spa or a decadent dessert…just lavishness from the normal day! Luxury at it’s finest…lavish!

The dictionary defines lavish as: 1. expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion: lavish spending.
2. using or giving in great amounts; prodigal: lavish of his time; lavish of affection. 3. to expend or give in great amounts or without limit: to lavish gifts on a person.

And that is how the creator of the universe gives out grace and forgiveness! And yet, we wallow in our shortcomings and our sins. What a waste! It’s like sitting at that spa sulking in a corner, while people are standing ready to spoil you rotten…even if you don’t deserve it! We serve a God who wants a love relationship with us…one where He is free to back up the dumptruck of adoration on you. If we could truly accept that love and forgiveness, it actually makes it much easier to fight against that sin in our lives. When that dumptruck unloads goodness and mercy into your heart, all you want to do is give love and obedience right back to HIM!

So, go ahead, open your hearts to God’s precious grace. I guarantee that you’ll never be the same.