It's the Little Things

                Tuesday morning as I was putting on my pants, standing on one leg in the bathroom I coughed and my back tightened up. It’s ok to laugh. It sounds ridiculous and to watch me walk hunched over to one side grimacing must be a hilarious sight. It seems ridiculous that something as simple as putting on your pants could be so debilitating but it happens. I was reviewing in my mind how long that has been happening Tuesday evening to realize it has been 30 years since I injured my back the first time. That was ridiculous too as I strained it by putting on brake shoes on my MGB-GT (it is now a yard car but I still have it). When I went to get up I could not and had to crawl into the house to lay on the floor. Some of you are shaking your head because YOU KNOW! I am sorry you know, UGH.

                That is one of the interesting things, people who know can see my walk and instantly have sympathy. We have a common bond as to pain and living with it and through it. Their stories include something ridiculous sounding but with the right combination of bending and twisting spells disaster for walking and breathing at the same time. If it has never happened to you then you are blessed and if I might how about a little grace for those to whom it has happened.

                In a post from Middle Baptist Associational Missionary, Bobby Braswell, an interview with Brian Orme for Outreach Magazine in October 2012 Max Lucado spoke of grace, what it is and how we live it. When asked why write about it now, why at this time, He says,

“What I did sense is a resurgence of a secular, legalistic view of life that if there is a God we have to earn His favor and win His attention, whereas the worldview of the Christian who believes in grace is that God has already noticed me. He has taken notice of me. He is enraptured with me, and I don’t have to get His attention. I simply have to receive His affection.” When asked for a definition he responded,

“what works for me is to see grace as a one-time gift of forgiveness and a lifetime gift of God’s presence. It’s that one-time sacrifice of Christ on the cross that moves us from condemned to forgiven, but it’s also a lifetime of His devotion to us. When asked why simple grace is not good enough for us Lucado responded “I think legalism is alive and active in the church, and that is because legalism gives us something—we think legalism gives us something tangible that gives us security. If I do this, then God will forgive me. If I accomplish this, God will love me. It’s a merit-based system. It’s a barter system. And since everything else in life is based on a barter system, it brings us a sense of comfort to go into our relationship with God in the same way. The problem is, as you know, the Bible doesn’t spell out the system.”

                Grace is like the folks with back issues who understand. They allow to others with back issues an understanding because they have been there too. That unspoken “Me Too”, “I understand more than you know” is a little thing big so big. If we exercise grace like Jesus gives us then we say, “Me Too.” “I have done something like that and Jesus saved me and is changing me now too. I get it you are not perfect and neither am I.” That’s how grace can make life not fair for me and you! It’s the little things that make all of the difference.      

In HIS Service and yours,
Bro G