Lost in Grace...

There is an unofficial rule in my family. We never forget a mistake. I a’m not saying we are unforgiving or that we donÂ’t love each other, but between my siblings we love to harass each other. For instance when I was 15 years old (25 years ago) I made spaghetti for a family gathering and instead of putting in a dash of cayenne, I added cinnamon to the sauce. Since that day if the word spaghetti is mentioned, so in the word cinnamon.

We live in a world that is a lot like my family. They like to remember, especially the bad stuff. Maybe you haven't noticed? How easy it is to forget when something noble, admirable and honorable is done. How quick to forget the friend you helped out in dark times or the person you shared the Gospel with when they were at the end of their rope. Why is that?

I think it is because bad stuff is more interesting. From high school hallways to corporate board rooms, we like bad news. It makes us feel somehow superior to know somebody else has screwed up way worse that we have. We love the sliding scale...that as long as somebody is farther down on the road to Hell than us, we must be doing okay.

I am glad God does not work on the same scale. First of all, do you really want everything you deserve? I know I sure don't! Don't get me wrong, I usually like fair, as long as it is my version of fair. However, in the end, I much prefer grace...that unmerited love that only God can give, not matter what. A friend of mine is fond of saying, "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. Your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace."

That is awesome, isn't it? I don't know about you, but I tend to get down when things go wrong. My very conservative upbringing has me playing soul tapes like, "this is just what you deserve," and "you are beyond hope and worthless." Then, I turn to the Word and realize that while these tapes might be true on some level, God loves me anyway...anyway. I am glad that I continue to find myself...

Lost in Grace,
Marty