Nothing is Impossible

There has been some serious "stuff" going on in Alex's family lately and I haven't exactly been compassionate and loving towards the people that I should be. My attitude has been one of frustration, criticism, anger, and arrogance. I've prayed that my heart would change and that I would have the right perspective on the situation and God answered. Yesterday at church, we sang "Healer" by Kari Jobe. If you're not familiar with the song, here are the lyrics:

Healer

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

When we got to the "nothing is impossible" part, I started thinking about this situation in our family and how I've been saying that it feels like it's impossible for these certain individuals to change. They've made many bad choices, suffered numerous consequences, seemingly lost everything, and despite hitting bottom over and over, they still won't turn away from sin and ask God to redeem them. Yet, I am a sinner just like them, and God saved me. What if He had thought that I was a hopeless case? What if God had thought I was incapable of changing my sinful ways? Even though we tend to rank sins in order of their "horribleness", regardless of how great the consequences for sin may be, all sin separates us from God. So, I'm just as horrible and messed up as these people that I judge. These people that I struggle to love.

But then there's this song that says, "Nothing is impossible for You". They aren't a hopeless case. They can be saved. Their lives CAN be redeemed. Jesus died for every.single.person.on.earth. Including them. His blood is enough for them. His love is enough for them. Just because I can't wrap by little head around it and my poor human eyes can't see hope for their salvation on the horizon, doesn't mean that God is incapable. Nothing is impossible for God.

"For with God, nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37 KJV

And it is still my responsibility as a Christian to love them. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34. And I need to stop thinking of myself as better than them because I have my own sin to deal with. "How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Luke 6:42

I'm so thankful that "The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." Psalm 103:8 NLT and that He didn't give up on me. That He is still working on me. That I can "be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:6 NIV. And just as these things are true for me, they are true for every one of us. Nothing can separate us from God's love, from His grace, from His goodness, from His salvation. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 NIV. And just as God will never give up on me, I can't give up believing for the salvation and redemption of these loved ones.