We often mistakenly believe that God demands perfection, and either punishes or rejects us when we fail, as we inevitably do. When we have an unrealistic view of God’s expectations and an anemic view of God’s grace, we tend to engage in one of two unhealthy behaviors: reckless disobedience or joyless perfectionism. But God loves us in spite of—and even in the midst of—our failure, and can use our struggles to open us to new life in Christ.
