Where Grace Takes Hold.
How vulnerable are you?
How amazing is grace to you?
"Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group: I think he preferred their company. Because the "sinners" were honest about themselves and had no pretense, Jesus could deal with them. In contrast, the saints put on airs, judged him, and sought to catch him in a moral trap. In the end it was the saints, not the sinners, who arrested Jesus." Phillip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace?
Working as a resident Chaplain I encounter many folks who think that because they are not "saints" that God isn’t present in their suffering or that their suffering is a result of not being a "saint." Yet the folks who are suffering are often the most open and honest folks I meet. Their pain is often so present and real that many simply cannot disguise their pain or no longer have the strength or energy to pretend that they are strong.
I think God is especially present to these people.
"My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness."
They are vulnerable and often weak.
Many are vulnerable because they have no choice due to their illness.
It is amazing how something as simple as a common cold can reveal one’s weakness and vulnerability-- much more a major illness.
Weakness, brokenness, vulnerability, and powerlessness is where grace seems to take hold.
Often when we are most vulnerable and thinking that we least deserve grace that grace abounds. Just when I think that I have slipped just beyond the grip of God’s graceGod hold’s me closer than ever.We all need to know that God holds us.
Yancey goes on to say, "When I attended Bible college I observed people who followed the rules and missed God, and people who broke the rules and missed God. What burdens me, though, is the group of people who still believe that they missed God because they broke the rules. They never heard the melody of the gospel of grace… Repentance, not proper behavior or even holiness, is the doorway to grace. And the opposite of sin is grace, not virtue... the proof of spiritual maturity is not how pure you are but an awareness of your impurity."
10 Comments:
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Ahhhhhhh, you quoted one of my all time favortie books!
I long to communicate what grace is to the people in my life who feel they are "not good enough" for Jesus. They feel they have to get their act together and stop or start some behaviour before they will be acceptable.
Grace is Amazing. It does take hold in our weakest moments. I feel very weak lately in so many ways, and yet His strength is working in my life.
Hope this makes sense...I have a really bad headache.
I'm struck by the timing of this piece, for it is just what I need, right now.
Thank you.
Especially love: "And the opposite of sin is grace, not virtue..."
Thanks to those who have responded.
Rick in Va., who welcome to read my blog, but I don't want your comments. You seem very antagonistic, whether that is your intention of not I don't know. It just feels that way and always has.
PLease go somewhere else to play. And please don't bother to resond to this post for I will delete it. Just don't come back.
How much peace is available to us when we truly understand that the opposite of sin is grace. Otherwise we would never be worthy and we would never have peace.
Thanks, I needed this today.
Weakness, brokenness, vulnerability, and powerlessness is where grace seems to take hold.
This is so very, very true. Without vulnerability, powerlessness and brokenness grace cannot take hold in our souls; that without brokenness grace all too often remains an unopened gift, an unanswered call, a forsaken love.
Oh I know, God's grace is extended to all of humanity in many ways, even though it is not universally appreciated. But only in brokenness can we fully accept it, grasp it, cherish it and, ultimately, share it.
You always take us somewhere deeper, Rick. Thank you for that.
Once again, you've nailed it.
I HATE being ill. It is the place of vulnerability and either having to depend on others to help, or feeling completely alone. And that's exactly where God wants me. and you.
God is full of Grace. And His Grace is amazing. If we let Him hold us he will. If we let him minister to us. What's more as we are transformed we can ooze His grace ourselves.
Lord make us channels of Your grace, even to those who get under our skin.
Dude! (I know your name's not dude.)
Not that it would matter a whole lot, but I just noticed your Episcopal blog thing down there. I just started attending an Episcopal mass on Fridays with a person who I support.
I've been in a real burned out, vulnerable, moody, exhausted, feeling somewhat forsaken, grieving mode lately. It's to where I feel I have NOTHING to offer the world, AT ALL. I can barely hold down my easy job and it's part time. I can barely function as a mother. (I'm half way thru my life and I still haven't figured out how to be "stable", or "functional". (as opposed to dysfunctional.)
Anyway, I went to mass with my friend/client and found this wonderful little booklet (Care Notes) on "When your prayers go unanswered." I had prayed earlier in the day that I felt "boxed in" and on the front of the booklet were to words "boxed in"!! Here's the paragraph that really, really jumped out at me:
"Look into the darkness; listen to the silence. You are being changed, tested, tough-loved. God is trusting you, banking on you, loving you. Presevere."
That was a moment of grace, I think, when I read that and felt like I was at least worth something, even if all I do is struggle. I like the idea that God is banking on me...for what I don't really know, but it gave me a little something to keep going.
Sorry this is so long, but this blog post is really applicable to where I find myself nowdays.
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