I always notice first what didn’t work out and what I did wrong.", a friend says to me. She talks about her family and her job. How it has been used and of many jerks and exchanges, although it has tried so hard.
The tears are coming.
Yes, it really makes you cry when a person is so hypercritical and ruthless with himself and every mistake is seen as a personal failure.
How much pressure, how much fear is at play, and how little room to relax and be happy.
I think of a story told by jesus. A farmer spreads his seed with full hands, but many things go wrong, some fall on rocky ground, others under the thorns, but some fall on good land and bring a rough harvest.
A wonderful story that gives hope – I can hand out with full hands, and even if not everything succeeds, some of it will fall on good land and bear fruit.
I can trust that I don’t have to be perfect to do well, and that I don’t have to be perfect to be loved by god.