Living, breathing, groaning Grace

We’ve seen a lot of darkness in our short lives, Chris and I.  Merely 30 both of us, we’ve seen some things you’d watch only on Lifetime movies… and I say that not to brag.  There’s nothing glamorous about the dark night of the soul.  There’s nothing to boast about in suffering of any kind.  But living through these has taught us the one thing we truly can boast in… Jesus, the Saving One.

Our friend, Dave Hearn, posted this quote on Facebook today that reminded me of something:

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” -C.T. Studd

It reminded me of who I am… and that I love that.

God doesn’t bring us through the ugly only to run away from it on the other side.  Embarrassingly, I’ve run from it only because of what others have thought.  I have hidden my story based on the reactions of a few of the other holy.  I thought I wanted to rise up and be shining glory like them.  I thought I wanted to be sparkling white like they seem to be.  Even though they’ve gone through hells of their own, their shiny white gowns seem bleach white.  It’s like they are capable of handling and accepting their own dark, but when it comes to the dark of others, they don’t want anything to do with it.

But. That’s not how God made me and I regret that I wanted to please them by becoming like them.

You see, I don’t mind getting dirty.  I don’t mind the mess of others.
I would rather be known by sinners than by the religious elite.

And that’s how I’ve come to know Jesus.  He’s all-accepting, all-embracing, all-loving.  He turns no one away.  He doesn’t label us by the sins we commit like we people often do.  Instead, he labels us as “Friend” and “Son” and “Daughter” and “Beloved” and “Bride”.

Can we then forsake the obsession with sin and focus solely on the greatest calling of Love?
Can we please choose to forgive one another and restore one another to places of honor instead of ignoring each other and turning the other way?

We are all living, breathing, groaning Grace.  I’m proud to be a part of the crowd who have come face to face with their humanity and had it washed clean by the face of Jesus.  I have seen the dark and I have seen the light. And only because I have seen and touched the dark am I able to fully embrace and know the meaning of the light.

There’s no dark too dark, no deep too deep.  No sin too shameful.  He is above it all and because of Him, so are we.  We accept our past failures, drown them in Grace and stride on toward bringing Kingdom to earth.

Given Grace, so that we can give grace.  Loved, so that we can love.  It’s a beautiful thing, this Kingdom, this God.