Joyful Ruins

Boromir: Forgive me. I could not see it. I have failed you.

Aragorn: No, Bormoir. You fought bravely. You kept your honor.

This scene, for the first time, spoke very personally to me. I had tears in my eyes as I related to Boromir and felt so comforted and loved by Aragorn’s words.

It was as if I was saying, “Forgive me. I have failed you.” And Jesus was saying, “No, you fought bravely and kept your honor.”

I have times where temptation knocks more often and sin is clearer cut in my life. I am always sinning in different ways, each day (intentionally and unintentionally) , but sometimes temptation comes hard, like it did for Boromir with the ring, and it feels overpowering and you give into it.

Boromir gave into the temptation and acted against Frodo, trying to take the ring from him, speaking lies and cruelty.

I can and do give into temptation too and I act out in sin, knowingly. I come back to after, just like Boromir, recognizing the pain I caused, the wrong I did.

I can feel like he did, speaking to Aragorn, feeling like I failed, telling God I failed him, heartbroken and worthless feeling.

But because Christ died once and for all, that is not how God sees us when we give in. Don’t get me wrong, He hates sin and it has its consequences, but I believe He does not respond to His children with shame, guilt, or wrath (that’s been poured out on Jesus instead). I think He is our cheerleader. He sees how He made us, sin put aside, paid for.

And as we turn to Him again and again, refusing to give up, even as we might give in, I believe He says to us, “No, you fought bravely. You kept your honor.”

He focuses on the mustard seed of faith. He gears in on our not giving up. We may fall repeatedly, it is a true battle after all, but He will keep encouraging us to not give up, to get back up, and He tells us we are fighting bravely.

You, my friend, cannot fail God by your sin because it’s not on you to be a success or not. He does not fail you and He is by Your side, in your heart, telling you that you are fighting bravely and the honor is yours.