Crawling or Running, You Will Finish the Race.
Many times this year, I found myself entertaining the enemy’s voice. It’s a daily battle I sometimes win. Others, not so much. A recent campaign lead me to a revolutionary thought.
Through my own shame, and the subsequent remorse of failure, I thought about how life could look if others stopped affording me grace. The thought of losing people and/or possessions is scary. As I began framing the could-be future, I had an even bigger thought. This one confronted what I prioritize in life. What if God’s grace ran out? This thought-bomb blew my mind.
I didn’t even think about how life would be different without Him. Instead, like a raccoon drawn to shiny things, I focused on the comforts and conveniences of people, places, and things. The thought of losing people and things was louder than the thought of losing Him. How revealing is the condition of my heart!?
Often times, I care more about comfort than I do about God. I find comfort in my wife, our home, our friends and how convenient life can be at times.
No matter what she may be juggling at work, or struggling with on her own, she makes time to love me well. No matter how crazy life gets, there has always been a place to call home. No matter what tom-foolery I get into I’ve always had a friend to lean on. However, the truth of the matter is that, no matter what tragedy transpires: God has always afforded me grace and (for the believer) will always afford us grace.
Getting clean and getting sober & staying clean and staying sober - has been the most challenging battle I’ve warred against. No matter how hard I try on my own to defeat the various manifestations of addiction in my life, grace is what carries me through. Regardless of a winning streak or a fall-off-the wagon type of scenario, His grace is always there to catch and carry me through to the next day. It is not dependent upon what I can accomplish for Him, but in His faithfulness to His word. He does not contradict His character based on my failures.
As Paul states, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” His grace carries us when we cannot carry ourselves. His grace is not a get-out-of-jail-free type of offering. His grace affords us a place in our walk of faith with Him, not merited on our ability. His grace does not afford us to indulge in sin, yet it remains faithful when we do.
It’s the end of the year.
You’ve got one week left.
You can finish your faith journey strong, or fall short.
Either way, His grace is there to carry you through to the new year. Instead of living in the shame and condemnation that accompanies self pity from fleshly failure, let us love ourselves well. If the God of creation freely gives unmerited grace, surely we can give ourselves some too. Run hard and persevere, or trip and fall…but get back up. Don’t stay there.
Let His grace carry you into 2019.
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:13-15