Grace Wins

“I’m such an idiot!”

Have you ever had one of those moments?

Something you did. Something you said. Somewhere you went. Someone you were with.

We’ve all had those moments.

We knew better. But the tug was too strong. We convinced ourselves it would be ok. So we rehearsed lame excuses in our heads like “everybody else is doing it, no one will ever know, you don’t know what they did to me.”

And this little battle that is constantly raging inside our minds is often chalked up to some clash of human temperament, a personality trait, or a culturally accepted vice with our struggle to be perfect.

We seldom call it what it is; sin.

And even for those of us who are willing to use that particular word, sin, we like to categorize all of our little acts of rebellion. There’s little sins and regular sins and BIG SINS. And, if we’re honest, most everyone else’s sins are HUGE while ours are tinny tiny.

However we want to spin it, there are some universal truths about the inevitable consequences of sin.

Sin Frustrates

While sin can be very alluring and attractive from a distance, it eventually just aggravates us. The act of sin itself can actually be enjoyable for a moment. But there’s something about our conscience that will cause a twinge in our thought pattern as a consequence. Sure, some people’s consciences may be seared more deeply than others but we all reach a point where we question some decision to do or think or say a certain thing. We all have a tipping point that becomes frustrated with our own sinful deeds.

Not only does the sin frustrate us personally but because it is experienced universally it begins to affect the relational sphere of our world. We lose our sense of happiness because our sins become enveloped with consequences observed by those around us. My deeds may not hold the same consequence as the next person. So I begin to compare my myself with others and realize that I’m not measuring up to some self-made standard because I’m constantly falling short and missing out on something I’m sure I’ve earned. Or something they now have that I was sure they had disqualified themselves from receiving. So, now, I’m not only frustrated with me, I’m frustrated with them. And all happiness is lost!

Sin Separates

I had a dog several years ago that I worked diligently to train to obey my every command. She would sit, lie down, rollover. It was amazing! I could even place a treat on her paw, walk out of the room, and simply snap my fingers from the other end of the house before she’d eat the treat that lay temptingly on her paw. But she wasn’t perfect. There were times in her excitement and lack of self control or in my lack of parental supervision that she would use the bathroom in the house. How did I know? Ears tucked back and hiding in a corner. There’s something about a dog’s, as well as my own, conscience that says the best thing to do in the midst of some mistake is to hide.

We are relational beings designed to be together. Work, play, share, speak, rest.  Simply be together. But honest vulnerability and openness is not something easily tethered among one another in the midst of sin. And sin knows just how to put a wedge between friends to drive them further away. Sin fractures relationships, destroys community, and widens the gap of isolation that makes it more and more difficult to live the way we were designed. We find ourselves moving further into the distance in an effort to hide our weaknesses, struggles, and temptations thus contributing to the relationship-killing separation meant to be fused by empathy and grace.

Sin Permeates

How do you feel about fog? Random question, I know. Last summer I visited San Francisco. And like most everyone on their first trip to SF there were several sites I wanted to see. I rented a bicycle and ventured through the Golden Gate Park, went along Lincoln Blvd, and made my way to the Golden Gate Bridge before trekking back to Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve watched enough episodes of Full House to know exactly what to expect as I planned to capture a masterful display of beauty with my iPhone. I was wrong! The fog had been rolling in for hours and a blurry image of the immaculate bridge was all I could see. The lingering fog disappointed my highly anticipated photo op.

Sin has a similar effect. It lingers. The sin I committed for the first time became easier the next time. The desire seems to never leave. The bliss of the act simply hovers over me and the shame of its consequence seems to never leave. The permeating effect of my sin reels me in and never wants to let me go. It’s a cycle. A trap. A snare. The aftershock seems to leave me feeling numb but there’s an alluring feeling that keeps me drawing ever more closely to its sting.

So how do I overcome the frustrating, separating, permeating effects of sin? Grace.

Grace Liberates

The frustrating glares of sin arrest us in a cage of bondage. It holds us bound to a life of utter defeat. But grace frees us. It reminds us that we are not the sum of our past mistakes. Past decisions. Past sins. It assures us that our identity is not determined by what we’ve done. Or who we once thought we were. To hold the position of “that’s just the way I am” doesn’t mean God is defenseless to change us into a totally new creature altogether. We’re something more. We’re something different. We’re a product of the liberating power of grace.

This liberating, life-giving, life-sustaining act of grace redeems us to become something we never could have imagined on our own. We who were once prisoners are now set free. We who were once bound by the heavy weight of sin’s chains can dance. We who were once blind by sin’s darkness can see. Grace allows us to be more mobile, more stable, more capable. We’re not being tossed around in the futility of our own doing but we’re riding the waves of grace carrying us through the tumultuous winds of this life with confidence that there’s Someone greater who has overcome the surge of every trial we could experience in this life.

Grace Unites

I remember playing a game as a kid called sardines. It was much of the antithesis to hide-and-seek. Instead of everyone hiding and one person attempting to find the others, one person would hide and everyone else would attempt to find the one. The goal was to bring everyone to the same location until there was only one left still searching. While there wasn’t any real accomplishment on the part of the one who initially went to hide there was something about being reunited with those who found their way to where you were once alone. Why? Because we crave community. And being reunited with those who set out on the search generates a sense of excitement and connectivity.

I know this silly game may not be the best illustration of what grace is and does but it becomes a reminder that we didn’t earn or strive for the community that’s being developed in our midst. Where sin separates, grace is seeking to unite. Grace is building a bridge caused by our own carelessness and strife. Grace is filling in the gaps in our life. Grace brings us back to our senses. Grace connects us to our Creator. Grace opens our eyes to see a wonderful creation. Grace is building a community of faith with those around us. Grace is the tie that binds. Grace unites.

Grace Triumphs

The feeling of defeat is one of the most difficult emotions to overcome. Not good enough. Not strong enough. Not talented enough. Not beautiful enough. Not smart enough. Simply not enough. And sin has a way of making us feel defeated and like a failure. It’s like a thief who steals. A murderer who kills. A ticking time bomb waiting to explode and destroy our sense of self-worth. And it seems no amount of self-determination or self-discipline cannot re-calibrate our lives after being derailed by the ravaging work of sin.

Enter grace. Scripture reminds us that “where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.” Sin, in its prime, has the power to bind us, blind us, betray us, break us, besiege us. But no effect of sin can outdo the triumphant work of grace being unleashed in our lives. Grace, by its very definition, is something freely woven into the fabric of our lives as a gift. We oftentimes fail to recognize the work of grace because we intuitively feel the need to work for our own success and untangle our own web of destruction. But grace never stops working for us. Grace cannot be defeated. Cannot be thwarted. Cannot be overcome. Grace triumphs.

Grace has a name. His name is Jesus. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is both near and far. Imminent yet transcendent. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is and was and always will be. He is a Mighty Warrior. Fighting our battles. He’s an ever-loving Father. Rescuing His children. He’s a faithful friend. A promise keeper. And by His grace He gives us a new name. A new identity. A new purpose. A new heart. A new home.

Grace wins.