Gazing out my window on a recent late-night flight, I was struck by how many stories there are out there, so many broken dreams and shattered promises. So many ways we hurt each other, wound creation, self-destruct.
Not one of us, even the best among us, can say with a straight face that we’ve no regrets. We hope that in the end our lives have done more good than harm, but we’ve succumbed to selfishness, we’ve nurtured greed, we’ve not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
And here we encounter that old, sturdy, often overused-but-rarely-embraced word: grace. Grace is dangerous, risky. We fear it’s too good to be true. Grace unravels all the shame we hide, all the failures we keep at bay, all the ways we’ve screwed up. And screwed up again.
Grace is the father watching out the window after we’ve run off with the Chevy and the family stash. Grace is the smile waiting behind the door that is always, always open. Grace is delighted laughter when we feared rejection, a warm embrace when we feared distance or reprisal.
So each night when we put our head on the pillow (or try to catch a wink on the red-eye), we rest in the good news that God (not our worst mistakes) tells our story.
And the story is grace.
“God tells our story.” I love that thought! Thank you, Winn. Sometimes I am just muddling along wondering if my life is making a difference; if anything I do matters; if I had been a different kind of parent maybe all my adult kids would be sold out to Jesus now; but God is there. His Grace is there. And as you just reminded me, He is telling my story (because I guess he thinks it is a good one).
I believe God does see your true story as good. I do.
I love how you make your words relatable to anyone reading it. When you speak of grace being dangerous, risky it opens our mind to the things we could have done differently or remind us that we can find the courage to forgive and embrace someone who has hurt you! I’m going to share these words as it was only a week ago that we were reminded that the most important being of creation is the human and yet how have we taken care of them! Can we remember that we weren’t created to wound or self-destruct…?
healing, not destruction. Thank you, Angela.
Thank you for the reminder of this great truth. My prayer is that each day countless folks will turn (or return) to Him through His grace and find what we’re all longing for –
Our Savior with arms wide open!
Thank You Winn, I just love your God Gifted Stories.
Once again you have found the words to share like a poem in prose. Just needed this soooooooooooo much today! I treasure your thoughts and the gift you have to express this truth that is much more about living in grace and not in our failures. Bless you Winn….may you keep sharing the hope Jesus has given in ways that encourage many, even as you fly high above us!