Prayer: Seeing as Jesus sees
God, teach me to see as You see. Often, I look at myself through the lens of my mistakes. I allow my falls, my failures, and my wrong choices to become accusations against myself. I get stuck on what I have done and begin to believe that I am not who I should be. But today I want to remember that Your gaze is different from mine. You know my weaknesses, my contradictions, and everything that needs to be transformed, but do not let my mistakes be the definition of my story.
Teach me to see myself through Your grace. Father, when guilt tries to convince me that there is nothing left in me that can be restored, remind me that You look at the heart, seeing everything that I cannot yet see. Where I find failure, You can see a heart that is still being formed, creating something new. Help me to surrender to You the chapters of my story that I would like to erase and trust that You do not need to erase my past to write a new chapter.
Redeem what has been wounded and transform my falls into places where Your grace can be known. Jesus, thank You because Your gaze is not one of contempt. Even when You know the whole truth about me, You still look at me with love. Just as You looked at Peter after his fall and did not allow his denial to be the end of his story, look also at me and restore what guilt has wounded.
Heal the marks that remained in my heart when I believed that my mistakes were greater than Your mercy. Father, when You say to me, “Follow Me,” do not allow me to remain stuck in the place where I am. Give me the courage to keep walking with You. I know that I am still in process and that there are many things that need to be transformed in me, but I trust that You do not call me because I am already ready, but because You desire to form me as I walk with You.
Teach me to obey even when I cannot yet see who I will become. Today I choose to believe more in Your gaze than in the accusations I make against myself. You know who I was, who I am, and You already see what, by Your grace, I can still become. May I never forget that my story does not end at my worst fall. I know that Your love is greater than my guilt, and Your mercy is greater than my failure. May Your voice continue to be the voice that guides my steps. I want to follow You.
by
Rapha Abreu is a journalist and cultural producer, and part of the marketing, writing and content production team at Mr. Rocco.
