Jumping Through Hoops

It would amaze you if I compiled all the conditions people have placed in front of me over the years. "If you do this, then..." That is most often how they phrase it or in some similar manner. They are saying that I must do what they tell me to do for them to accept me. I have had so many hoops placed in front of me that if I tried to jump through each one, I would spend the rest of my life trying to appease people by jumping through their hoops. By the way, often, they want you to do something you have already done, but they need to know or be misinformed. I just wanted to share with you some thoughts about jumping through hoops.

Most people who want you to jump through a hoop are doing it so that they will feel better about you. I am not questioning those people's sincerity. They genuinely want some proof that we are repentant. They have limited knowledge of what happened in the past and what we have done to make it right with God and others. They seem to need some confirmation.

Jumping through their hoops will not solve their doubts. Please make no mistake about this, once you jump through someone's hoop, they will still doubt you. The problem is not with us, providing them with proof; they are not accepting that God is in control. You cannot remove their doubts by jumping through hoops.

Some people do not place these things in front of you to help you but to hurt you. They put a flaming hoop in front of you and dare you to jump through it, but usually, there are more flaming hoops ahead. They are not looking for proof. They are looking to hurt you.

Jumping through hoops will waste your time and energy. Start jumping through people's hoops if you want to live your life and frustration. Rather than serving the Lord, you will spend the rest of your life like a caged tiger jumping through hoops. God sets us free. He does not put us in a cage. He uses our failures to help others.

You cannot prove yourself to people who don't want proof. They want to vindicate themselves as to why they have judged you. Sadly some of these people have an agenda. They would love to make a fool of you by forcing you to jump through their hoops while they continue to mock and accuse you. They will place a treat in front of you, but as soon as you jump through the hoop, they will take it away. It is a game they play to accomplish their purpose. Please don't fall for it.

I have done all I know to do to be right with God. It is not my responsibility to make every doubter believe. It is not my duty to make everyone who has heard bad things about me think they are invalid or that I have repented for them. I could not even satisfy all the people who want me to jump through hoops to prove myself. To all of those who want me to jump through hoops, may I humbly submit to you that I have jumped through no hoops. Jesus jumped through the hoop on Calvary. He proved his love to me. I have fallen and gotten back up, and I have gone to the hoop of Calvary time and time again and told him how sorry I am that I have failed and asked him to forgive me.

Perhaps all hoopsters need to recognize that God's grace is sufficient for us all. Maybe you have spent your life feeling you had to jump through hoops, so now you are making others feel the same. I am not angry at you. My heart breaks for you. I am not prideful, but I have done what I am supposed to do. I cannot jump through your hoop to prove that to you. Let's remove the hoops. Let God be God, and let us look at the hoop he jumped through and apply that grace to others.