Author: theblessedovercomer

Welcome! My name is Todd OC Shoemaker. The OC is short for Overcomer. That’s the nickname my medical team gave me many years ago. You see, for the last 22 years, I have battled several life threatening health issues. On multiple occasions, my bride Laura has been told I would probably not make it through the night. Our faith has helped us run this crazy beautiful journey. We live with hope. I encourage you to run with me as I share my thoughts along the way. ~OC

Truth and Free Press

A free press is not perfect. Journalists are human beings, and news organizations can make mistakes, show bias, or get things wrong. That is why accountability, transparency, and honest dialogue matter.

But throughout history, one truth remains: people who fear facts often attack those who report them. When leaders, institutions, or individuals spend more energy attacking the messenger than addressing the message, it should cause all of us to pause and ask an important question: What truth is being avoided?

A healthy society depends on the ability to ask hard questions, investigate wrongdoing, and speak honestly—even when the answers are uncomfortable. A free and independent press is not the enemy of the people; it is one of the safeguards that helps keep power accountable.

As citizens, we should think critically, seek facts from multiple sources, and value truth over loyalty to personalities, parties, or ideologies. Truth does not need to be feared. Truth can withstand questions, scrutiny, and honest conversation.

In the end, the strongest leaders, organizations, and individuals are not those who silence criticism, but those who are willing to face the truth, learn from it, and grow. ~OC

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Dear Christians, Please Stop the Hate

Dear Christians,

Please stop the hate.

We live in a world that desperately needs Jesus, but sometimes the loudest voices claiming to represent Him are not reflecting Him at all.

We talk about Jesus, but do we love like Jesus?

We quote Scripture, but do we live it?

We defend our beliefs, but do we remember the words Jesus actually spoke?

The red letters of the Bible call us to love our enemies, pray for those who hurt us, forgive, show mercy, care for the hurting, welcome the stranger, serve the least of these, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

That isn’t weakness.

That is Christianity.

Jesus didn’t tell us to win every argument. He told us to love one another.

He didn’t tell us to build walls around ourselves. He told us to go and make disciples.

He didn’t tell us to hate people who disagree with us. He showed us how to love people who were different from Him.

So, dear Christians, let’s stop using Jesus as a weapon and start following Jesus as our Savior.

Let’s put down the hate.

Let’s put down the outrage.

Let’s put down the judgment.

And let’s pick up love, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and truth.

Don’t just wear the name Christian. Live like Christ.

The world doesn’t need more people shouting about Jesus.

The world needs more people who actually live like Jesus.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:35

Love like Jesus.
Serve like Jesus.
Forgive like Jesus.
Live like Jesus.

That’s what the red letters are calling us to do. ~OC

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Twenty Reasons to Get Out of Bed Every Day

Sometimes getting out of bed can be tough.

Can I get an amen?

As I have walked this crazy, beautiful health journey, I have learned a few lessons. I have learned that some mornings begin with pain. Some begin with exhaustion. Some begin with questions we don’t have answers for. And some mornings, simply putting your feet on the floor feels like an accomplishment.

But I’ve also learned something else:

As long as God gives us another day, there is still a reason to get up.

So, from someone who has learned to keep fighting, keep believing, and keep overcoming, here are 20 reasons to get out of bed every day:

1. Because you woke up.

Every new morning is a gift. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t promised. But today is here.

2. Because God isn’t finished with you.

If you’re still here, your story isn’t over. There is still purpose in your life.

3. Because someone needs you.

Your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your church, your neighbor—or someone you haven’t even met yet.

4. Because there is still someone to love.

Love isn’t just something we receive. It’s something we give away.

5. Because there is still someone who needs encouragement.

Sometimes your simple “I’m praying for you” can change someone’s entire day.

6. Because your testimony matters.

Someone may be watching how you walk through your storm. Your scars may become someone else’s hope.

7. Because pain doesn’t get the final word.

Pain may be part of your story, but it doesn’t have to define your story.

8. Because there are still miracles to witness.

Sometimes miracles look like healing. Sometimes they look like strength to make it through another day.

9. Because you can still make a difference.

You don’t have to change the entire world. Sometimes changing one person’s world is enough.

10. Because tomorrow’s blessing may require today’s obedience.

You may not understand what God is doing today. Keep walking anyway.

11. Because there are still memories to make.

There are sunsets you haven’t seen, conversations you haven’t had, places you haven’t visited and moments you haven’t experienced.

12. Because laughter is still waiting for you.

Life can be incredibly hard, but there is still room for joy.

13. Because somebody needs to hear your story.

Never underestimate what God can do with a life that refuses to give up.

14. Because you are more than your circumstances.

Your diagnosis isn’t your identity. Your failures aren’t your identity. Your worst day isn’t your identity.

15. Because there is still work to do.

Maybe it’s big. Maybe it’s small. Maybe it’s simply loving the person standing beside you. It all matters.

16. Because hope is still alive.

Even when you can’t see the way forward, you can take the next step.

17. Because God can bring beauty from brokenness.

Some of the most beautiful things in life can grow from the hardest seasons.

18. Because someone else needs to see you keep going.

Your perseverance may give someone else permission to believe they can keep going too.

19. Because you haven’t seen the end of your story.

Don’t close the book while God is still writing the chapters.

20. Because Jesus is still with you.

Through the good days. Through the bad days. Through the pain, fear, uncertainty and exhaustion.

You are never walking alone.

So tomorrow morning, when getting out of bed feels impossible, start small.

Put your feet on the floor.

Take a breath.

Say a prayer.

And whisper:

“Lord, thank You for another day. I don’t know what today will bring, but I’m still here. I’m still fighting. I’m still believing. I’m still overcoming. Let’s see what You can do with this day.”

Then get up.

Not because every day will be easy.

But because every day is still worth living.

Keep fighting.
Keep believing.
Keep loving.
Keep overcoming.

And most importantly—

Keep Jesus at the center of it all.

Today is a new day.

Get up. God isn’t finished with you yet. ~OC

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Remembering President Jimmy Carter: A Life of Character and Service

Today, October 1, 2026, would have been President Jimmy Carter’s 102nd birthday.

Today, we pause to remember a man who represented something that seems increasingly rare in American public life: character, integrity, humility, humanity, and a genuine commitment to serving others.

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He would go on to become the 39th President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. But his life was about far more than the four years he spent in the White House.

He believed that public service was supposed to be about people—not power.

He believed leadership carried responsibility.

He believed faith should be lived, not simply spoken.

And he believed that every human being possessed dignity and deserved to be treated with compassion.

Those values shaped his life long before the presidency and continued long after he left Washington.

A President From Plains

There was something remarkable about Jimmy Carter’s connection to Plains, Georgia.

He came from a small community, became governor of Georgia, became President of the United States, and then returned home.

He never seemed to believe that occupying the highest office in the land made him more important than the people around him.

After leaving the White House, President Carter and Rosalynn Carter founded The Carter Center in 1982, dedicating themselves to advancing peace, democracy, human rights, health, and humanitarian work around the world.

His post-presidential life became one of the most extraordinary chapters of his story.

He worked for peace.

He fought disease.

He monitored elections.

He advocated for human rights.

He helped build homes through Habitat for Humanity.

He taught Sunday school.

And he continued serving others when there was absolutely no political office left to win.

That matters.

Character When Nobody Is Watching

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons from Jimmy Carter’s life is that character is who you are when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Presidents come and go.

Political parties change.

Campaign slogans disappear.

Headlines fade.

But character remains.

President Carter demonstrated that leadership does not require constant outrage, personal attacks, or a hunger for attention.

It can look like humility.

It can look like listening.

It can look like keeping your word.

It can look like serving people who can do absolutely nothing for you in return.

It can look like choosing peace when division would be easier.

It can look like standing up for human rights even when doing so is politically difficult.

The Carter Center describes his life’s work in three simple words:

Wage peace. Fight disease. Build hope.

What a legacy.

What Washington Could Learn

And perhaps that is why remembering Jimmy Carter feels especially meaningful today.

Our politics can often seem consumed by division, anger, tribalism, personal ambition, and the endless pursuit of power.

Washington can sometimes feel very far removed from the people who are struggling to pay their bills, raise their families, care for aging parents, find affordable housing, afford healthcare, or simply make it through another difficult day.

That is why character still matters.

Integrity still matters.

Humility still matters.

Compassion still matters.

Leadership still matters.

And public service should still mean service to the public.

Jimmy Carter wasn’t perfect. No president is.

His presidency had successes, challenges, and controversies, just like every administration in American history.

But remembering him today isn’t about pretending history was perfect.

It is about recognizing the qualities he brought to public service and the example he continued to demonstrate for decades afterward.

In 2002, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of work pursuing peaceful solutions to conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development.

His life ultimately became bigger than a presidency.

A Legacy Bigger Than Politics

President Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, at his home in Plains, Georgia.

But his story didn’t end there.

His example continues.

His work continues through The Carter Center.

His words continue to challenge us.

His life continues to remind us that leadership doesn’t have to be about self-promotion.

It can be about service.

It can be about sacrifice.

It can be about faith.

It can be about peace.

It can be about human dignity.

And it can be about leaving the world a little better than you found it.

Today, I think about Plains, Georgia.

I think about the little hometown that produced a man who would become the 39th President of the United States.

I think about President Carter and his beloved Rosalynn.

I think about Maranatha Baptist Church.

I think about the Carter Center.

And I think about a simple question for all of us:

What kind of legacy are we leaving behind?

Because someday the political arguments will be forgotten.

The campaign signs will be gone.

The television commercials will be forgotten.

The social-media battles will disappear.

But how we treated people?

That will matter.

How we served?

That will matter.

Whether we showed compassion?

That will matter.

Whether we stood for peace, justice, dignity, and humanity?

That will matter.

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter—the 39th President of the United States, a son of Plains, Georgia, a husband, a public servant, a humanitarian, a man of faith, and a lifelong advocate for peace and human dignity.

Happy 102nd birthday, Mr. President.

Thank you for reminding America that leadership can still be about character over ego, service over power, humility over fame, and humanity over division.

May we never stop learning from your example. Happy Birthday President Carter. ~OC

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Who Is College Sports Really Protecting?

Let’s have an honest conversation about the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.

College athletics has become a massive business. Television contracts, ticket sales, sponsorships, conference money, donations and NIL deals have created an enormous financial ecosystem around college sports.

And at the center of that ecosystem are the players.

Without the athletes putting their bodies, health, time and talents on the line, there is no Saturday afternoon football, no March Madness, no packed arenas, no television ratings and no billions of dollars flowing through college athletics.

That is why I have serious questions about whether the players are getting the protection and representation they deserve.

The Senate has now passed the Protect College Sports Act by a bipartisan 77–22 vote, but the legislation still faces consideration in the House. The bill does contain provisions designed to protect athletes, including NIL rights, scholarship and health-care protections, revenue sharing and limits on certain agent fees.

But here’s where I believe we need to pay attention.

The bill also establishes limits on athlete revenue sharing and gives the NCAA and schools significant authority to establish and enforce the rules governing college athletics. Critics have argued that the legislation could limit athletes’ leverage and legal options, including because it does not classify college athletes as employees and does not provide collective-bargaining rights.

Meanwhile, college football coaches can still make millions of dollars. The Congressional Budget Office notes that the highest-paid football coaches average about $4 million annually, with the highest earners making more than $10 million.

So I have a simple question:

Where is the voice of the athlete?

If universities, conferences, athletic departments, administrators and coaches are going to have seats at the table, the people actually playing the games deserve a powerful seat there too.

Don’t misunderstand me. I believe college sports can and should continue to provide educational opportunities, scholarships and opportunities for young people to compete.

But the system should never forget who makes the product possible.

The players are not simply pieces on a chessboard.

They are students.
They are athletes.
They are human beings.
And their health, education, financial futures and rights matter.

They sacrifice their bodies while others build careers around their performances.

They practice while others negotiate television contracts.

They travel while others sit in offices making decisions.

They play through injuries while other people count the revenue.

And when their careers are over, many of them walk away without the long-term financial security that comes with professional sports.

So yes, let’s protect college sports.

But let’s make sure we’re protecting the college athletes who make college sports possible.

I hope moving forward that players have an even stronger voice in the process. I hope their representatives are sitting at the negotiating table. I hope their health and education are treated as more than legal language in a bill.

And I hope the people running college athletics remember something incredibly important:

There is no college sports business without college athletes.

Protect the universities.

Protect the programs.

Protect the traditions.

But most importantly—

PROTECT THE PLAYERS.

Because they aren’t just the labor behind the product.

They ARE the heart of college sports. ~OC

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The Dehumanization of America From This White House

There is a strategy at work in America right now, and it is not about policy. It is about dehumanization.

It starts with language.

When you stop calling people people, and start calling them illegals, invaders, vermin, enemies, you are doing something very intentional. You are making it easier for the rest of us to look away when cruel things are done to them. That is not politics. That is dehumanization 101.

This White House understands that perfectly.

When a mother seeking asylum is no longer a mother, but a “border threat,” you don’t have to think about her children.

When a transgender kid is no longer a kid, but a “radical agenda,” you don’t have to think about his depression, his fear, his humanity.

When a journalist is no longer a journalist, but the “enemy of the people,” you don’t have to defend his right to ask hard questions.

When a protester is no longer a citizen using his First Amendment rights, but a “domestic terrorist,” you don’t have to listen to why he is angry.

This is how it works. First you rename them. Then you shame them. Then you blame them for everything that feels broken. Then you tell the country that cruelty is actually strength.

And it is working. Look at us.

We are becoming numb. We scroll past cages, past bans, past raids, past mocking press conferences where suffering is treated as a punchline. We have started to argue about whether certain people deserve basic dignity, as if dignity were something the government grants, rather than something God gave.

I am a Christian. I was taught that every person bears the image of God. Not just the people who vote like me. Not just the people who look like me. Every person.

Dehumanization is not just un-American. It is anti-Christian. Genesis 1:27 says God created mankind in His own image. You cannot love God and despise what He made in His image.

This White House wants us to be afraid of each other. Because fearful people are easier to control than free people. If we are busy hating our neighbor, we won’t notice who is picking our pockets.

But we have a choice.

We can refuse to repeat the language of dehumanization. We can refuse to laugh at the cruelty. We can refuse to call it normal.

We can look at every person, even the person this White House tells us to hate, and say four simple words: “You are still human.”

Because once we lose that, we have lost America. ~OC

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The World Is A Subway Car

THE WORLD IS A SUBWAY CAR

Think about the world for a moment as if it were one giant subway car.

People are packed inside.

Some are sitting quietly, staring out the window. Some are talking loudly. Some are laughing. Some are crying where nobody can see. Some are exhausted from the journey. Some are angry. Some are afraid.

Some know exactly where they’re going.

Others aren’t even sure what station comes next.

And somehow, we’re all riding together.

That’s what makes the subway such a powerful picture of our world.

We don’t get to choose everyone who gets on the train.

We don’t get to choose everyone’s politics, religion, race, nationality, economic situation, personality, or past.

We don’t get to know everyone’s story just by looking at them.

The person sitting across from you might be carrying a broken heart.

The person standing beside you might be fighting a battle nobody knows about.

The person who looks angry might have spent the night crying.

The person who seems completely lost might simply need someone to remind them that they aren’t alone.

And here’s the thing:

We’re all passengers.

None of us owns the subway car.

None of us gets to declare that only people who look like us, think like us, worship like us, or vote like us belong inside.

We’re sharing the ride.

And every person on that train has a story.

DIFFERENT STATIONS

Life takes us through different stations.

Birth.

Childhood.

Friendship.

Love.

Loss.

Success.

Failure.

Illness.

Grief.

Change.

Hope.

And eventually, our earthly journey comes to an end.

Some people ride with us for decades.

Others get off after only a few stops.

Some people enter our lives unexpectedly and change everything.

Others leave behind memories that stay with us long after they’ve disappeared through the doors.

That’s life.

We are constantly meeting people at different stations.

And perhaps the question isn’t simply:

“Where are you going?”

Perhaps the more important question is:

“How are you treating the people riding beside you?”

THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU MATTERS

Jesus never seemed overly concerned with building walls between people.

He crossed boundaries.

He talked with people others avoided.

He touched people others considered untouchable.

He stopped for people others walked past.

He noticed people.

That’s something the world desperately needs right now.

We need to notice people again.

Not labels.

Not stereotypes.

Not political categories.

Not social-media arguments.

People.

The human being sitting beside us.

The mother trying to hold her family together.

The veteran carrying memories from a battlefield.

The immigrant hoping for a safer tomorrow.

The elderly person who hasn’t had a meaningful conversation in days.

The teenager wondering if anyone sees them.

The person battling addiction.

The person grieving a spouse.

The person living with chronic illness.

The person who smiles every day while privately wondering how much longer they can keep going.

You may never know what someone is carrying.

So be kind.

SOMETIMES THE TRAIN GETS DARK

Every subway has tunnels.

There are moments when the windows become black and all you can see is your own reflection.

Life has tunnels too.

Cancer.

Parkinson’s.

Dementia.

Grief.

Divorce.

Financial hardship.

Loneliness.

Addiction.

Fear.

Depression.

Loss.

There are seasons when it feels like the train has entered a tunnel and God has disappeared from view.

But here’s something important about a tunnel:

The darkness doesn’t mean the train has stopped moving.

You may not see the destination.

You may not understand the route.

You may not know why you’re going through this particular tunnel.

But the train can still be moving forward.

Sometimes faith is simply holding on until the lights come back on.

DON’T MISS YOUR STOP

One day, every one of us will reach our final station.

And when that happens, I don’t think we’ll be thinking about how many arguments we won on social media.

I don’t think we’ll care who had the better political meme.

I don’t think we’ll wish we’d spent more time proving ourselves right.

We’ll remember people.

We’ll remember conversations.

We’ll remember moments when somebody showed up.

We’ll remember the hand that reached for ours when we were hurting.

We’ll remember the person who prayed with us.

We’ll remember the person who stayed when everyone else left.

So while you’re riding this train called life, don’t miss the opportunities to love people.

Don’t be so busy staring at your phone that you miss the person sitting beside you.

Don’t be so consumed with being right that you forget to be kind.

Don’t become so comfortable in your own little corner of the subway car that you forget there are hurting people everywhere around you.

WE’RE ALL GOING SOMEWHERE

The world is a subway car.

We’re all passengers.

We’re all carrying something.

We’re all headed toward another station.

And maybe our assignment isn’t to control the entire train.

Maybe it’s simply to make the ride a little better for the people God has placed around us.

Offer encouragement.

Give grace.

Listen.

Forgive.

Help somebody carry their bags.

Make room.

Speak hope.

Stand beside the hurting.

Love your neighbor.

And when someone gets on the train who looks different from you, remember:

They’re a passenger too.

They have a story.

They have a destination.

They have hopes.

They have fears.

They have value.

And they were created by the same God who created you.

So let’s stop treating one another like enemies riding in opposing subway cars.

We’re on the same train.

We’re sharing the same journey.

And every station we pass is another opportunity to love somebody.

The doors are closing.

The train is moving.

We don’t know how many stops we have left.

So let’s make every stop count.

Let’s love while we’re here.

Let’s serve while we’re here.

Let’s forgive while we’re here.

Let’s encourage while we’re here.

Let’s point people toward Jesus while we’re here.

And when our journey is finally finished, may we be able to look back and say:

“I didn’t just ride the train.”

“I helped somebody make it to the next station.”

Keep loving.
Keep serving.
Keep encouraging.
Keep overcoming.

And whatever station you’re at today—remember, you’re not riding alone. ~OC

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Where Is The Leadership?

There is something I keep coming back to, and I believe Americans have every right to ask some hard questions.

What about the people?

Families are struggling.

Groceries are expensive. Gas prices are putting pressure on household budgets. Farmers and truckers are dealing with higher costs. Working Americans are trying to stretch every paycheck a little further, and too many families are being forced to make choices nobody should have to make.

And while Americans are worrying about how they’re going to pay the bills, our government is spending taxpayer dollars on television advertisements promoting the President.

Let that sink in.

Taxpayer money. Television advertisements. Promoting the President.

Recent reporting confirms that the federal government has paid for television advertisements featuring President Donald Trump. One advertisement carried the disclosure, “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” and reporting says the spending expanded into hundreds of thousands of dollars. The White House says these advertisements are public-service announcements and argues that they are not campaign ads. Critics, including lawmakers and former ethics officials, have questioned whether the advertisements cross the legal line prohibiting certain uses of federal funds for “publicity or propaganda.”

That question deserves answers.

Because the issue isn’t simply whether someone likes Donald Trump.

The issue is whether our government should be using money collected from the American people to promote a political figure.

Federal law has long restricted the use of appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda, although the Government Accountability Office has also recognized that the government can use public funds for legitimate communication about government programs and policies. So whether these particular advertisements violate the law is ultimately a legal question that deserves serious scrutiny—not something we should simply declare settled without the appropriate review.

But even beyond the legal question, there is a question of leadership.

Where is the leadership?

Where is the urgency for the family standing in the grocery store calculating what they can afford?

Where is the urgency for the person sitting at the gas pump watching the numbers climb?

Where is the urgency for the farmer wondering whether another season will be financially possible?

Where is the urgency for the trucker paying more to keep America supplied?

Where is the urgency for the American family already struggling to keep a roof over their heads?

And where is the urgency when American military personnel are being placed in harm’s way?

The United States is engaged in a military conflict with Iran, and rising fuel costs have been linked by analysts and administration officials to the conflict and its effects on global energy markets.

I believe we should be asking whether this conflict is necessary, what the objectives are, what the exit strategy is, what it will cost American taxpayers, and—most importantly—how many more American lives could be placed at risk.

Those aren’t radical questions. They’re the questions citizens are supposed to ask.

We cannot allow political loyalty to replace accountability.

We cannot allow party affiliation to become more important than the American people.

And we certainly shouldn’t accept the idea that government exists to promote politicians rather than serve citizens.

Leadership isn’t about producing another television commercial.

Leadership is sitting down with the hard problems and solving them.

Leadership is looking at an American family and saying:

“How can we make your life better?”

Leadership is demanding accountability for every taxpayer dollar.

Leadership is being transparent about military action and its costs.

Leadership is protecting the men and women who serve our country.

Leadership is listening when Americans say:

“We’re hurting.”

America doesn’t need more political theater.

America needs honesty.

America needs accountability.

America needs leaders willing to put the people ahead of their own image.

And every elected official—Republican, Democrat, independent, conservative, liberal, or otherwise—should remember one simple truth:

Those taxpayer dollars don’t belong to them.

They belong to the American people.

So yes, ask the questions.

Demand the receipts.

Demand transparency.

Demand that the law be followed.

And demand leadership.

Because while politicians argue about who gets the credit, real people are trying to survive.

And the question remains:

WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP?

America deserves an answer. ~OC

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Grace For The Imperfect

Today’s a new day!

We live in a world that seems obsessed with perfection.

Perfect families.
Perfect marriages.
Perfect bodies.
Perfect careers.
Perfect churches.
Perfect social media feeds.

But here’s the problem:

None of us are perfect.

Not even close.

We all have scars people can’t see. We all carry stories we don’t always tell. We have made mistakes we wish we could undo. We’ve said things we wish we could take back. We’ve disappointed people we love—and we’ve been disappointed by people we trusted.

Sometimes we are our own harshest critics.

And sometimes, unfortunately, Christians can be the harshest critics of one another.

We forget that the person sitting next to us in church may be fighting a battle we know absolutely nothing about.

The person who seems distant may be hurting.

The person who keeps making mistakes may be struggling to get back on their feet.

The person who doesn’t have their life together may simply need someone to remind them that they are loved.

And the person who doesn’t look, think, believe, or live exactly like we do is still a person created in the image of God.

Maybe it’s time we gave each other a little more grace.

Grace doesn’t mean pretending that wrong is right.

Grace doesn’t mean ignoring sin, refusing accountability, or avoiding difficult conversations.

Grace means remembering that people are more than their worst moment.

It means correcting without condemning.

It means speaking truth without destroying the person who needs to hear it.

It means leaving room for repentance, growth, healing, and second chances.

Jesus didn’t wait for people to become perfect before He loved them.

He met people in their mess.

He sat with sinners.

He touched the untouchable.

He forgave the broken.

He welcomed the rejected.

He restored people who had failed.

And ultimately, He went to the cross for imperfect people like you and me.

That’s grace.

I think sometimes we forget just how much grace we ourselves have received.

We want grace when we’re struggling, but judgment when someone else is struggling.

We want understanding when we make a mistake, but consequences when someone else makes one.

We want people to remember our intentions while we judge someone else by their actions.

We want our past forgiven while holding someone else’s past against them.

But the Gospel calls us to something different.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32

What if we became people who were known for grace?

What if our homes became places where people could be honest about their struggles without immediately being judged?

What if our churches became places where broken people felt safe enough to say, “I’m not okay”?

What if instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” we sometimes asked, “What happened to you, and how can I walk with you through it?”

What if we stopped expecting everyone to have it all together?

Because here’s the truth:

We’re all works in progress.

God isn’t finished with me.

God isn’t finished with you.

And God certainly isn’t finished with the person you may be tempted to write off.

So give grace.

Give grace to the person who is learning.

Give grace to the person who is grieving.

Give grace to the person who is struggling.

Give grace to the person who failed.

Give grace to the person who is trying again.

Give grace to yourself.

And when accountability is necessary, let it be wrapped in love.

When correction is necessary, let it be offered with humility.

When someone falls, don’t be so quick to celebrate their failure.

Reach down and help them stand.

Because someday, you may be the one who needs someone else’s hand.

None of us are perfect.

We’re just people trying to navigate this crazy, beautiful journey called life while desperately needing the grace of God.

So let’s stop demanding perfection from imperfect people.

Let’s love a little deeper.

Listen a little longer.

Judge a little slower.

Forgive a little quicker.

And extend the same grace to others that we desperately need from God ourselves.

Grace doesn’t say, “You are perfect.”

Grace says,

“You are loved while you’re still becoming.”

And maybe that’s exactly what the world needs a little more of right now.

Grace for the imperfect.

Because we’re all imperfect.

And we’re all in need of grace. ~OC

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

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Today

Today’s a new day! Switch your thinking from “I’m broken and helpless” to “I’m growing and healing” and watch how your life changes for the better. Flip the switch! ~OC

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