Life Changes and Life Grace
Over the past several weeks I feel like God has been stirring up some things in my life. I haven’t always been the person I think God would have me to be and in many ways I have failed. For many, many years I lived for myself even though I knew the truth of how I should be living. I put God on the back burner and only really called out in times of trouble. Interesting thing though, even though He really had no right to answer me or help me after the way I acted, he was there to help me through whatever problem I was facing. Then just as sure as anything I return to my old ways. It was a cycle that I suppose I had grown comfortable in.
I don’t know if it the fact that I am getting older or the fact that things seem to be getting worse everywhere I look or if it is a combination of both. All I know is I feel my priorities are changing and the things that I think are important may not be as important as I think they are. I am beginning to understand what God’s grace is and what that means for my life and the life of those around me. Is this change easy? Not always…… there are some things that I am having issues changing…. Imagine that! At the end of the day however I realize that God is working on me. He is bringing about change that will only benefit me. I may not like the change but I have to realize that in the end He has my best interest at heart.
Do I claim to be perfect? Do I claim to be a good person? Far from it. I am beginning to realize what Paul means when he says “that thing I don’t want to do I do, and that thing I want to do I don’t do….oh wretched man that I am…. Who can save me” (paraphrased). I am where I am only by the grace of God and nothing more. I haven’t done anything to earn grace and mercy and I certainly cannot add anything to that gift. I can however, take that grace and mercy and share with others. It isn’t about cleaning up our act and dressing up and getting my hair cut………. It is about coming to God and opening my heart to him and letting him be Lord of my life. It is about developing a relationship with the Creator through his son Jesus. It is about letting others know of this wonderful gift no matter who they are or what they are doing or how they look. It is about accepting change in my life, accepting Gods work in my life and accepting others as they are.