God remembers how He wired me. He owns the specs.

Reading Scripture I become overwhelmed with the holiness of God and the high expectations he seems to have for me. In moments of reflection when I see how far I remain from where I would like to be—let alone where God would like for me to be—I attempt to bring reality into focus in four areas.

Above all else, I remember again Jesus’ contract with me of standing in my place before God as my defense attorney. He tells God, “This one is mine. He asked to stand beneath the protection of my blood.”

Second, I remember that God wired me and knows exactly who I am. Before Him, there can be no pretense. There is a sense this is scary. God knows exactly who I am.

The upside is God knows the “me” I have to work with. I don’t have the Billy Graham gift of stadium proclamation. I don’t have the intellect of a great Christian scholar. I am just me. God knows which gifts He gave to me and which ones He withheld.

Third, I remember that God knows the baggage each of us carries through life as result of the imperfections that come our way due to Satan’s garden success. At the death of our son, his physician, Dr. Michael Roach sent these words of encouragement. “James was a wonderful fellow who dealt with more adversity in his short life than most of us will ever know.” God knows our garden baggage.

God being just and righteous knows the hand each of us is dealt because of the fall of humankind. Some are born with more healthy bodies than others. Some are born into more favorable circumstances than others are. However, “that’s just who I am” is never an excuse to not follow God’s path.

In the down times it is good to remember that God knows exactly who I am and does not expect me to be more than me.

Fourth, I live in a culture unlike any other. No one before or in the future will have the same cultural influence I face in the here and now. I do not understand the degree of influence culture has on my life and upon my attempt to follow Jesus.

The result is I spend my life in an attempt to better distinguish how much of me is the result of my commitment to God and how much of whom I am is a result of the constant roar of culture. God knows my struggle with the two.

My contentment rests in knowing Jesus stands in on my behalf. God knows the gifts He placed in my wiring. He knows the burdens I carry because of the Eden fall.  God understands my struggle to be His man within the context of a bombarding culture.

As I come full circle back to the beginning, I want to remain overwhelmed with the holiness of God and the high expectations He seems to have for me.  I believe the Godhead is pleased when I serve Jesus, being grateful for His standing in my sinful place, and attempt to become more like Him each day.

Stay tuned.

Gary J. Sorrells