Not Tall Enough To Ride

Do you remember those signs at Six Flags or Disney (if you were lucky enough to go) that indicated how tall you had to be to ride a roller coaster? If you didn't measure up, you couldn't ride. Do you know that my Dad stretched every inch out of me and my sister? He was so ready to have roller coaster buddies that as soon as we were 36 inches, my little body was strapped into some of the biggest roller coasters in Texas. Of course, I was just as glad for the day I measured up, too.

Have you ever thought about how you measure up to God's standards? It took me a long time to realize that no matter how hard I tried, though I'm a Christian, I'll never live perfectly. You see, there's this standard of righteousness that you and I cannot live up to on our own accord. For example. Think about the Ten Commandments. This was the Law that God gave to show people how to live a holy life. Have you ever broken any of them? Well let's take a look at a few and see how we measure up.

God says don't murder.

Easy. You've never killed anyone! But wait, Jesus said that if you've ever hated anyone, it's as if you've murdered them.

God says you shouldn't commit adultery.

So you say, "I've never once cheated on my spouse," or "I'm not even married!" Jesus said that if you've ever once lusted after anyone, you've already committed adultery in your heart.

God says that you shouldn't steal.

You're no thief! Well, at least not with anything significant. But his commandment doesn't talk about how big the offense has to be before we've broken the law. Stealing is stealing.

So at this point, if you're like me, you're a thieving murdering cheater.

Romans 3:23 says that everyone has sinned and falls short of God's perfection. When I read this, I think DUH! There's nothing in my body or my mind that feels even remotely perfect. But then again I'm quite amazed - there are some seemingly perfect people out there and even they don't quite measure up.

So when we measure ourselves up against God's commandments - His Law - we realize that no one is perfect. No one measures up to God in and of themselves. But, here's the good news that has inspired me so much lately. When you become a Christian - meaning you allow God to rule over every part of your life - God sees us as He sees His Son: perfect.

For anyone who has ever felt like they just didn't amount to much or just couldn't measure up, this is for you.

Love!