…out of regard for his oaths, he commanded it to be given… Matthew 14:1-12  Does losing favor mean losing your life? It depends on whose favor you are attempting to retain. The worst gut check is the one that challenges our loyalties. Every emotion possible including fear, embarrassment, grief and shame will rise up from places within us that leave us bruised, smoldering, and believing there is no way out. Don’t believe it! At times there are things we set in motion that on occasion cause us to fall short on promises either made to our selves or to one another. Although we are tempted to second guess who we are, we must remember, we are not called to live up to the world’s hype. All saints and sinners fall. Yet, as in Christ, saints always get back up and rise towards Jerusalem. We are disciplined, yet never out of favor by the one who always keeps his promises. A bruised reed he will not break; and a dimly burning wick he will not quench (Isaiah 42:3).