Monday, January 16, 2012

THE ICKY

I wish we talked about grace as much as we talked about sin.

I mean, we're obsessed with sin. We rank people according to how bad we think their sins are and how much or how little we believe they are convicted by their sins. We speak of loving the sinner but hating the sin. And, we're reminded that if there was no sin, there would be no need for a Savior. But, that's really the point, isn't it? There is a Savior.

Spending so much of our time talking about sin distracts from and even makes light of the fact that grace actually exists and it is powerful beyond measure. In our distorted sense of reality, that world of human frailty and brokenness, we believe that if we stop talking about sin we'll sin more and not understand the need for a Savior.

No matter how much we talk about it and no matter how often and how hard we try, we can't wash the sin away. We will never be able to get the sin out, off, away. It'll keep coming back - no, strike that - it'll never go away. Our obsession with sin is simply another demonstration of our desire for control, our belief that we can actually do something about it.

If we put as much energy into talking about grace as we did about sin, we could change the world. He loves us like no person can ever love a person - ever, now, and always. Love is what won, and love is what wins. Not love by our definition, ensnared by the trappings of our desire for control; rather, love by His definition, only giving and never taking.

I wish we talked about grace more than we talked about sin.

I wish all we talked about was grace.

I wish all we did was love.

I wish.

3 comments:

  1. I remember learning about grace as the process that saved me. Then it was hard work to manage sin. I somehow missed the whole "my burden is light" deal. I missed out on the notion that the process of sanctification is an act of grace. And oddly enough, when I really took grace seriously, I saw that it wasn't a fluffy bunny and I was finally able to take sin seriously, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wrote a poem once called THE PUPPETEER. It was written at a time when I realized that I was trying but failing to control everything and everyone in regards to my cancer fight and life. I was even trying to tell people how to react to my diagnosis. As soon as I reminded myself that I wasn't the Puppet Master to this life, but I was the puppet, things got a better. My martinet strings stay untangled when I know that God is leading.

    I used to view my glass 1/2 full, but the past 3 years in my fight... I started feeling that not only was my glass half empty, but it contained nothing. You can't have an empty glass when you are walking with the Lord, because even if you have nothing else you have him.

    Grace is expected from most, but most of us don't know how to grant it. Just like forgiveness though. Forgiving isn't always about helping the other person, it is a mutual benefit. It free's you from all the pain, guilt and anger that you hold onto resulting in negativity and misery. Grace allows us to start fresh.

    Thanks for the post Tom. I've been thinking about grace a lot lately.

    jonnie

    ReplyDelete