I Doubt It! When you Let Yourself Down - Romans 7

Have you ever let yourself down?

I don’t mean something small like forgetting to set your alarm or skipping the gym for the third day in a row. I mean those moments where you cross a line, hurt someone you care about, or fall back into the very pattern you promised yourself you’d never repeat.

In those moments, the question hits hard: “Why am I such a bad person? How could God love someone like me? How can I call myself His child?”

You’re not alone in those questions.

The Inner Struggle

When I was in fourth grade, I sat in my school cafeteria and watched a play that I’ve never forgotten—Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s a story about the inner battle between good and evil, between who we want to be and who we often become.

That story is a picture of doubt. On one hand, I want to trust the Lord with all my heart. On the other hand, I want to trust myself instead. One mind tells me to love my neighbor as myself. The other whispers, “Love yourself first and forget your neighbor.”

Paul names this tension in Romans 7:

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19)

The struggle is real. And the truth is, we will let ourselves down.

You’re in Good Company

Think about Adam and Eve. They had just promised God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then in a moment, they broke that promise.

Think about David. One day he was worshiping God; the next, he was abusing power, taking advantage of Bathsheba, and covering it up with murder.

Think about Peter. He swore he would never deny Jesus—and then denied Him three times in a single night. Scripture says he went out and “wept bitterly.”

Each of them knew the weight of failure. Each of them asked, “How could God love someone like me?”

The Good News

And yet, here’s the hope we cling to:

“We are far more worse off than we could ever imagine. We are far more loved than we could ever dream.” – Tim Keller

Yes, our sin is real. Yes, we fall short. But God’s love runs deeper still.

After Peter denied Jesus, he was crushed with guilt. But in John 21, the resurrected Jesus meets him on the shore, cooking breakfast. And what does He say? “Come eat with me.”

That’s the heart of God. Despite our sin, despite our disappointment, despite the moments we let ourselves down, Jesus still invites us to the table.

An Invitation

So maybe today you’re carrying the weight of regret. Maybe you’ve let yourself down and wonder if God could still love you.

Hear this: you are far more loved than you can possibly imagine.

Jesus is still on the shore, still holding out bread and fish, still inviting you to eat with Him.

Come to the table.