Be a role model to others

Our culture loves to see people fail. Think of all the headlines that revel double-standards - of course politicians fail, of course Hollywood's elite crash and burn. It's human to fall short. The true test is how you pick up the pieces. Look at King David: following his bout with Goliath, the people elevated him to super-holy celebrity status, only to see him knocked off his perch following an affair with a married woman. To David's credit, he didn't just brush the pieces under the carpet, he faced his mess honestly, head-on. His experience is collected in a poem, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life' (Psalms 139:23-24). If we want to be a role model to others, we must pray those words. We must be brave enough to allow God to show us our mess and have mercy. i had a past but i celebrate my present. PRAISE THE MERCIFUL GOD