Same Dumb Stuff

When I leave a load of laundry in the machine and forget about it so now they smell sour, I get so frustrated! I don't really like doing laundry to begin with much less doing the same load twice because of a dumb mistake. I mean how many times have I washed clothes? Thousands right? Its basic.. put clothes in, take clothes out before they smell worse than when they went in. You would think that I would have this down by now.

Then I started thinking about what other things in my life I keep messing up on that I should have down by now? There seem to be themes in my life that I keep repeating the same "dumb" mistakes over and over. Things that should be easy since I have been a Christian for 16 years now. For instance, how to act at my son's baseball game. I do not like the parents who are loud and obnoxious yelling at everybody on the field. I don't like people who yell at the umpires thinking they are going to get them to change their mind. But what did I do a few weeks ago? Ran my mouth. Was so irritated and the whole game I took Lakin early to hers. Same "dumb" mistake. Or how about when I start in on my husband the first thing he walks through the door. I know that this is not a good time to approach him with all my issues. He needs a little time to decompress from work otherwise he usually is defensive and our conversations don't go well. But, again what do I do?

I sometimes wonder if God looks at me and says, "Kimberley, come on. This is 101 stuff. You should have this down by now. Get yourself together." But then I pause and I know He says something more like this, "Kimberley, I don't expect you to be perfect. I don't expect you to have it all figured it out. I know you are going to stumble and mess up. I love you anyway. Don't tear yourself down just keep searching after my son."

"I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." 

Romans 7: 21-25 NLT