Grace for Us All

I know, I know, it's Thursday. And as of 11am, I still have nothing posted. Well, here's the thing, I've been a little busy lately. If you know, you know. And I honestly thought I had a post scheduled for today. At 6:30 this morning, as I wrapped up some time with Jesus, I decided to make the most of the few seconds I had to squeeze in a few "housekeeping" details for the day. Time to check off some boxes and feel good about myself! I quickly looked at my scheduled posts list and assured myself I was good. Obviously, I was not. And as I sit here, writing, I realize what a great lesson that is for today. 

You see, today was something of a trial run for what will, hopefully, be our new normal. I had to be someplace by 8am, Scott had his usual work schedule, and there were other people and details to consider. In some ways, I had to let go of things I would normally choose to have done prior to leaving the house. Like dishes. For years, I couldn't leave the house with so much as a spoon lying in the sink or anything drying in the drainboard. I still can't tolerate a sink full of dirty dishes, but a few items here or there... I've learned to overlook minor details when other things are more pressing. And my quiet time with Jesus. I just can not seem to go without that; but this morning I only had a few moments to pray. I'll spend more time in Scripture when I get back, I reasoned. It was far more important to others (and, I believe, to the glory of God) that I remain calm and unrushed today.

And that's where the lesson seemed to sit with me. When I'd checked to be sure my Thursday article would post at 7am, I thought I had my ducks in a row. A quick glance in which I attempted to cross all my ts and dot all my is led me to believe I had things covered. Now, while there's nothing wrong with being diligent, verifying things are complete and in order, when I sought to feel good about myself because of myself, all I received was false assurance. But as I moved upstairs to interact with others, others who need me to be gracious and kind, temperate and unshakeable, others who will quickly and negatively react to a frazzled, over-achieving taskmaster, I knew it was in everyone's best interest that I apply the grace given to me --for myself and for others. 

When Jesus calls us, whether it is to initial repentance and a resurrectionary life or, it is to something more specific once we have chosen to seek and serve Him with all our hearts, we should give it our all. But it is not within our humanity to give it perfection. Even on our best days, our understanding is limited, our knowledge is finite. We can give it all we've got, but it is the grace of our Savior that makes it all it is. When we place too much emphasis on using up every second to achieve perfection or superiority, we miss the beauty in what Jesus can do. When we stress over dishes in the sink or children wiping greasy fingers on windows or spouses taking "too long" in the bathroom or articles posting exactly on time every time, we provide ourselves with the false assurance that having control over others or circumstances is what we are called to do. What if we were called to fail but be holy, to hurt but love, to ignore the offense but be at peace, to know time is fleeting but enjoy the moment, to leave the spoon (or spoons) in the sink but be Christ to those around us? Maybe we are. 

Midweek: What We Can Know

A teacher once described the human perspective as looking at God's plan through a soda straw. There is so little we can see, but through God's grace toward us, there is much we can know. I hope this devotional from Streams in the Desert (October 23) encourages you today:

 There hath not failed one word of all his good promise — 1 Kgs 8:56

Some day we shall understand that God has a reason in every NO which He speaks through the slow movement of life. “Somehow God makes up to us.” How often, when His people are worrying and perplexing themselves about their prayers not being answered, is God answering them in a far richer way! Glimpses of this we see occasionally, but the full revelation of it remains for the future.

If God says ’Yes’ to our prayer, dear heart,
And the sunlight is golden, the sky is blue,
While the smooth road beckons to me and you,
And the song-birds warble as on we go,
Pausing to gather the buds at our feet,
Stopping to drink of the streamlets we meet,
Happy, more happy, our journey will grow,
If God says ’Yes’ to our prayer, dear heart.

If God says ’No’ to our prayer, dear heart,
And the clouds hang heavy and dull and gray;
If the rough rocks hinder and block the way,
While the sharp winds pierce us and sting with cold;
Ah, dear, there is home at the journey’s end,
And these are the trials the Father doth send
To draw us as sheep to His Heavenly fold,
If God says ’No’ to our prayer, dear heart.

Oh, for the faith that does not make haste, but waits patiently for the Lord, waits for the explanation that shall come in the end, at the revelation of Jesus Christ! When did God take anything from a man, without giving him manifold more in return? Suppose that the return had not been made immediately manifest, what then? Is today the limit of God’s working time? Has He no provinces beyond this little world? Does the door of the grave open upon nothing but infinite darkness and eternal silence?

Yet, even confining the judgment within the hour of this life, it is true that God never touches the heart with a trial without intending to bring upon it some grander gift, some tenderer benediction. He has attained to an eminent degree of Christian grace who knows how to wait.

When the frosts are in the valley,
And the mountain tops are grey,
And the choicest buds are blighted,
And the blossoms die away,
A loving Father whispers,
'This cometh from my hand';
Blessed are ye if ye trust
Where ye cannot understand.

If, after years of toiling,
Your wealth should fly away
And leave your hands all empty,
And your locks are turning grey,
Remember then your Father
Owns all the sea and land;
Blessed are ye if ye trust
Where ye cannot understand.

On a Collision Course with Destruction

This is how we began our vacation. Okay, it wasn't our vehicle. We had absolutely nothing to do with it. We were just sitting at a traffic light watching someone else's day as it fell into ruins. I couldn't help but think, however, here we were, anticipating a time of fun and relaxation together while this poor guy's stomach was doing somersaults, he was likely going to spend the rest of his day retelling his story and listening to terrible generic jazz while he hung on the line with the insurance company. I felt really bad for him. Little did I know, our vacation would turn out to be something of a nightmare itself. If he was here, I'd tell him that just to make him feel a little better.

My point is, we make plans. We think what we're doing is going to result in fun, status, rest, financial gain, happiness, control --whatever it is we think we need; sometimes it leads us straight to problems. But I think we've all been there: I have a lack; I will fill that void.

Luke 9:24 CJSB says, "For whoever tries to save his own life will destroy it." Now that might sound a bit harsh. After all, who wouldn't go to the hospital if they were having chest pains? Who wouldn't get another job if they didn't have the means to feed all of their children? But what Jesus was telling His disciples in this passage is that if you are placing your physical well-being above your spiritual, eternal well-being, you are going to mess everything up. If your greatest priority is the condition of your life in this world --comfort, health, recognition from others, material wealth --you are on a collision course with eternal destruction.

Let me first explain to you that Jesus is not a God of chaos or crazy. Balance is important to Him --it's part of His character. He gave us these bodies, our families, our jobs, our spheres of influence, our bank accounts, our world itself! He gave us these things to enjoy! He's not looking for us to disparage or abuse the things He's given us. He doesn't want us to burn our cash or whittle our closets down to one plain black outfit just to show Him how much we love Him more. But there is no gift we should enjoy more than the Giver Himself.

Imagine if you spent weeks thinking of the perfect way to show someone how much you love them. It's not their birthday. They haven't done anything for you that was particularly noteworthy. You just want them to know how much they mean to you. You finally figure it out. Maybe you even save up for a few more weeks, or even, months. The day comes, and you present the person with the perfectly-wrapped, lovingly-selected, sacrificially-purchased item. They are thrilled!!! with it. They don't thank you. They don't even look at you. They don't tell anyone where they got it. It is all.about.the gift. You wanted them to love it. You wanted them to gush. You wanted this to be the best moment of their lives. But, Hey, what about our relationship?

Early on in life, I was faced with some disadvantages. Who isn't, right? But those disadvantages were pretty substantial for a kid my age. I didn't know how to mitigate the damage and hurt that came about as a result. I didn't feel as though I had anyone I could trust. It was a scary place. But Jesus kept calling me again and again. He provided people to talk to and safe places to rest. I heard His call and jumped right on it, right? Nope. I was going to fix things on my own. I was going to be better than the people who had hurt me. I was going to make them pay. I'd show them they couldn't keep me down. Not only that, but I was going to be better than all those around me who'd had the advantages I only wished I could have had! Talk about taking things too far! I wasn't just heading for a fender-bender; I was all in --ready to total that bus! Essentially, I was looking to prove I was someone, to prove my life was worth something. It was all about the gift. The gift was mine. I had the gift. With whatever sort of control I had over it, I was going to make it better than it was when it was given to me; I was going to make it better than anyone else's. Crazy!

What I failed to see was that Jesus had given me a life He wanted me to appreciate. Good, bad, or ugly --and by whose definition do we label those things anyway? --good, bad, or ugly, He gave me a life He wanted me to give back to Him each and every day, to wake up each morning and say, Here it is; what are we going to do with this today? He gave me the life He wanted me to trust Him with, to trust Him to heal it and make it new. He didn't want me struggling, scratching and clawing, trying to make it anything other than the beautiful tapestry He is so expert at weaving. But scratch and claw I did.

There isn't nearly enough room here for me to tell you all the ways I messed up. And I would seriously test your attention span. Suffice to say, I came perilously close to a total loss. I tried and tried and tried and tried again to make my life what I thought it should be, to receive what I believed I was due, to get what I thought everyone else had. I did everything I could to save my life and, but for the grace of God, almost lost it. It was Jesus who saved me from destruction. And He held out His hand, and He took those smoldering ruins, and urged me to give them up. By His mercy and by His grace.

We make plans. We think what we're doing is going to result in fun, status, rest, financial gain, happiness, control, revenge --whatever it is we think we need. I have a lack; I will fill that void. But we can't begin to know what it is we truly need until we see ourselves through the eyes of Truth. And only Truth can save us from ourselves.

What sort of life does Jesus have planned for you? Seek Him first and foremost to find out.