This Thing We Call Life
Do you ever think about all the ways people describe this thing we call life?
A Journey
Hills and Valleys
A Roller Coaster
I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been thinking life is more like trying to get through a corn maze that doesn’t actually have an exit while blindfolded, intoxicated, and with a screaming toddler hanging on to your leg.
Yep. That seems about right.
Or maybe it’s like trying to navigate a river full of twists and turns in the night, while it’s storming, and you’re being chased by hungry alligators.
Uh-huh. That’s pretty accurate too.
And, honestly, there was a point where I started to think that all was lost and the boat was about ready to sink, but Grace showed up.
Because Grace always shows up.
I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been thinking life is more like trying to get through a corn maze that doesn’t actually have an exit while blindfolded, intoxicated, and with a screaming toddler hanging on to your leg.
Yep. That seems about right.
Or maybe it’s like trying to navigate a river full of twists and turns in the night, while it’s storming, and you’re being chased by hungry alligators.
Uh-huh. That’s pretty accurate too.
And, honestly, there was a point where I started to think that all was lost and the boat was about ready to sink, but Grace showed up.
Because Grace always shows up.
Grace in Christianity
I spent the majority of my 39 years knowing simply of Grace and then the last few years merely knowing Grace as a casual acquaintance. Throughout my childhood and early 20s, I was an active part of an incredibly traditional (cough, legalistic, cough) church. And, Grace didn’t fit there. She didn’t have a place there. I would almost even go so far as to say she wasn’t welcome there because Grace, she doesn’t fit in a tidy box, and she doesn’t follow the rules, and she doesn’t reward good behavior. She doesn’t show up in her “Sunday best,” completely put-together, and looking like she has this thing called life figured out.
No, Grace is more of the ragamuffin type.
She’s a little unkempt from the hours she’s spent sitting with and loving on the broken.
She’s a little ragged from running after the prodigal child and making sure she’s settled back at home.
She’s a little disheveled from picking up the woman caught in adultery, fixing her some coffee, and baking her some cookies.
Yep, that’s Grace, and she was a little out of place in my early church life. And even though she didn’t fit there, Grace still showed up. Some days she had to sit in the back; some days she stood outside; some days she just sat in her car in the parking lot, but I know she was there.
Because Grace always shows up.
She shows up even though she is scary for Christians in these types of churches because she’s really the opposite of everything they’ve been taught. She doesn’t follow the rules, but legalism is all about following the rules. She doesn’t categorize sin, but legalism is all about categorizing sins (even though they preach otherwise). She’s all about forgiveness and acceptance, but legalism is all about playing a role. She’s the epitome of unconditional love and authenticity, but legalism is the epitome of putting on a mask and pretending like life is fine. She is love and acceptance, but legalism is judgment and punishment. She is present and active in the aftermath of sin, but legalism is distant and absent.
Despite all of that, Grace always shows up.
What does it mean to have Grace?
Finally, God liberated me from that legalistic environment, but I was still a little afraid of getting too close to Grace. I would greet her and say “Good Morning” on Sunday mornings. She would smile lovingly, warmly even, while she made her rounds through the church to place her healing hands on the sinners, to look in the eyes of the broken-hearted, to wipe the tears of the hurting, to help up the fallen, to laugh with the recovering, and to love on the weak. And just as Grace would start to make her way toward me, I would plaster on my “I’m fine” smile and flit away.
I didn’t have room for Grace in my busy, fine, put-together life. But, Grace still showed up. She was always there in the background, waiting. And just when I needed her most, just when the maze became too much and the river became too dangerous, she showed up, and she wasn’t neat and tidy, and she wasn’t fair, and she wasn’t politically correct, and she wasn’t socially acceptable.
Grace showed up.
She showed up and she put her hands on my face, looked right in my eyes, and smiled without ever having to say a word.
She’s a little ragged from running after the prodigal child and making sure she’s settled back at home.
She’s a little disheveled from picking up the woman caught in adultery, fixing her some coffee, and baking her some cookies.
Yep, that’s Grace, and she was a little out of place in my early church life. And even though she didn’t fit there, Grace still showed up. Some days she had to sit in the back; some days she stood outside; some days she just sat in her car in the parking lot, but I know she was there.
Because Grace always shows up.
She shows up even though she is scary for Christians in these types of churches because she’s really the opposite of everything they’ve been taught. She doesn’t follow the rules, but legalism is all about following the rules. She doesn’t categorize sin, but legalism is all about categorizing sins (even though they preach otherwise). She’s all about forgiveness and acceptance, but legalism is all about playing a role. She’s the epitome of unconditional love and authenticity, but legalism is the epitome of putting on a mask and pretending like life is fine. She is love and acceptance, but legalism is judgment and punishment. She is present and active in the aftermath of sin, but legalism is distant and absent.
Despite all of that, Grace always shows up.
What does it mean to have Grace?
Finally, God liberated me from that legalistic environment, but I was still a little afraid of getting too close to Grace. I would greet her and say “Good Morning” on Sunday mornings. She would smile lovingly, warmly even, while she made her rounds through the church to place her healing hands on the sinners, to look in the eyes of the broken-hearted, to wipe the tears of the hurting, to help up the fallen, to laugh with the recovering, and to love on the weak. And just as Grace would start to make her way toward me, I would plaster on my “I’m fine” smile and flit away.
I didn’t have room for Grace in my busy, fine, put-together life. But, Grace still showed up. She was always there in the background, waiting. And just when I needed her most, just when the maze became too much and the river became too dangerous, she showed up, and she wasn’t neat and tidy, and she wasn’t fair, and she wasn’t politically correct, and she wasn’t socially acceptable.
Grace showed up.
She showed up and she put her hands on my face, looked right in my eyes, and smiled without ever having to say a word.
She showed up, walked right into my messy house with a pizza and a 6 pack, and made herself at home.
She showed up just to sit on the back deck with me.
She showed up, drug me out of the house, bought me dinner, and belly laughed with me.
She showed up, cracked open the ice cream, and cried with me.
She showed up and loved me without judgment.
She showed up.
Because Grace always shows up.
Some days, some weeks, some months are hard, nearly impossible. But, Grace shows up. And when she does, sit back, accept her unconditional love, and bask in her soothing presence.
Maybe, just maybe, today is the day you need to open the door and let Grace in.
Because Grace always shows up.
Some days, some weeks, some months are hard, nearly impossible. But, Grace shows up. And when she does, sit back, accept her unconditional love, and bask in her soothing presence.
Maybe, just maybe, today is the day you need to open the door and let Grace in.
Or maybe, just maybe, today is the day you need to be Grace for someone else.
Because Grace always shows up.
Because Grace always shows up.
I used to be criticized for being in a grace church. But grace truly raises the bar above religion. Religion is adjusting ourselves on the outside. Grace is Jesus changing us from the inside out. He is all about our hearts. Thank you for this wonderful post! ❤
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Donna! I'm not sure how I lived without grace for so long. I have never understood freedom and acceptance like I do now that I understand grace. Thank you so much for your encouragement :)
DeleteGrace always shows up! Amen.
ReplyDelete