Hobble

Last Friday was a busy day for me, so I ran and picked up lunch to bring back to the office. Chick-fil-A was my natural choice. As I was leaving, there was a lady coming with her leg in some medical get-up that made her walk a little slower that perhaps she was used to. I held the door for her, and grabbed the second door, too (why they put two doors, I have no idea)… and she said the customary thank you and something along the lines of having to hobble everywhere. “We all have to hobble sometimes," I said, in a quick attempt to be pseudo-conversational.  She laughed and that was that.

Perhaps, in my attempt to be witty, I was unintentionally more the wiser than I realized. We all have to stumble sometimes. While I do not mean we will all eventually spend a few days in a cast, I do mean that spiritually, we are prone to stumble and - often times - fall.  When we fall, any first reaction we have usually carries one purpose - to look like we haven't fallen. Frequently, we naturally want to jump back to our feet and survey the area for any onlookers that have just witnessed this blemish in our perfect stroll.  Other times, we have pain from the fall, but we walk anyway, trying harder by the step to not look as though something isn't right.  When we must, we go to the doctor and get put in a cast.  No one really likes that - it forces us to face our fall every day; and worse: people will know.  No matter how hard we try to cover it up, not matter how quickly we want our wounds to heal, the worst part of it all is that others will know.  Why is that?

When, in sin, do we look for grace?  

Before we sin and say we never found it?  

While we sin and say it's to late? 

After we sin and blame it on not enough?  

Perhaps Christians have done a great job of showing everyone how to get up quickly from the fall and walk again... we've made our churches into hospitals of broken people all walking around with casts praying no one notices.

We've all fallen.  In fact, We were all born fallen.  As a Christian, I have been reborn, though... this time - I've been born into grace.  What does that mean?

We don't have to look for grace.

Before we sin, we have been given grace that is enough.

While we sin, we cannot sin it away.

After we sin, we cannot find His grace to be inadequate.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ made reside in me." 2 Cor 12:9

We should never boast in our sin.  That is foolish.  We should boast in our Savior whose grace is enough no matter how bad of a fall we had or how wounded a person we are.  His power is perfect in our weakness.

Perhaps a great lesson for us to learn is not to worry so much about looking like we are perfect walkers with 'hidden' limps, but to realize we, as Christians, are chosen to have the ability to walk at all... and, even though we fall, and even though we all have to hobble sometimes... in that very ability to walk, grace abounds.

J.P.

My boss was a youth minister before he became the director of the ministry where I work.  There is this man that is about 40-years-old who comes around all the time.  

He is doesn't have a house, and his home is where ever he finds a place to lay his head at night.  /  He is addicted to several medications and literally has to be picked up off of the floor when he is high.  /  He has a good heart underneath it all, and goes to visit his mother in the nursing home everyday.  /  Sometimes, he just ticks me off because I am trying to work and do my job and he always comes in and needs something.  /  "What now, J.P.?"  /  He is dirty and smells.  /  His brain is so fried that when we do actually have a job he can do, he can't comprehend how to do it and needs to be walked through every step over and over again.  /  The only thing he has to offer me is an open hand to receive.  /  He is always so needy.  /  There are things I want to do, but I have to take care of him first.

The other day, he comes and sits at one of the chairs in front of my desk.  I wasn't doing much, so I took the chance to get to know him a little.  As he told me about his life, the Lord just smacked me in the head.  The Lord desires J.P. to know Him.  He craves to be J.P.'s savior.  He loves J.P.

Wait.  I am suppose to love J.P.?  Find him greater than myself?  Wow.  It is so easy to give out of duty or to get him off my back.  But The Lord loves J.P. in spite of J.P.  Whatever I do unto the least to these, I do unto Christ. 

Here I am - just absolutely baffled that someone could have the nerve to keep coming around and getting hand outs from us... and really just put out with him.  Only to realize - I am a J.P. before God.

I am dirty.  All I have is fifthly rags.  I come before God with one thing to offer: an opened hand for him to give me something.  I am addicted to getting high from things of this world that leave me crippled and needing God to drag me up off of the floor.  I am so needy.  The Lord wants to do so much for me and with me, but there I am, always begging for something more and something better.  Sure, I do good things, but my good deeds done for any reason outside of my faith in the Lord is sinful.  I am nasty and I smell horrible and no one would want to embrace me.  I am a pile of self-seeking desires.  I have no value.  I am J.P.

But the Lord.  Oh, the Lord is good.  He wraps his arms around me, and cleanses me.  He meets my needs in spite of me  No matter how far I walk away from Him, he sees me and turn to Him and he runs to me.  The Lord loves me and knows me.  He is my Savior.

"To be a true servant, a servant of humbleness, we must condescend to all the weaknesses and infirmities of out fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their properties, compassionate their distresses, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant to servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices to the lowest of mankind."